


Trust, Openness and Honesty

by MaxWrite



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Comeplay, Felching, M/M, Rimming, Tentacles, hints of Daddy Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-21
Updated: 2010-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-18 13:26:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/189329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxWrite/pseuds/MaxWrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After dating for a year, Hikaru and Pavel spice things up a bit and test the boundaries of their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trust, Openness and Honesty

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Happy Trekmas](http://happy_trekmas.livejournal.com) 2010.

  
**Pavel + Plant = Bad**   


Hikaru stepped into his and Pavel's quarters and found the lights dimmed and a large hologram of space being projected into the middle of the sitting area. The chairs and coffee table had been pushed aside and lined up neatly just out of the way, and there was Pavel, in the center of the hologram in civilian clothes, slowly turning on the spot as his eyes and darted from star to star. His hand was raised, his index finger extended, and he poked at one star, which made it glow brighter than the others, then moved his finger and extended a glowing line from that star to another. He was deep in concentration, eyes wide, lips slightly parted. Such a pretty thing, Hikaru thought, his halo of curls illuminated by artificial stars, pinpoints of light reflected in his eyes. Hikaru stood there for a moment, just watching him. At first, he thought Pavel hadn't noticed his arrival, but then Pavel greeted him.

"Hello," Pavel said, his voice distant, his eyes remaining on his work.

"Hey," said Hikaru as he stepped to the edge of the hologram. "What's up?"

"Mapping."

"Isn't Stellar Cartography a better place for this?"

"I prefer it here. Am I in the way?"

"Nah. Not as long as you don't mind me stepping through this nebula here." Hikaru stepped into the hologram, came up behind Pavel and wrapped his arms around him.

"You are distracting me," Pavel said, but Hikaru felt one of Pavel's hands touch his arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hikaru murmured against Pavel's neck. He nuzzled there, breathing in Pavel's warm, slightly sweet scent. "I just missed you, is all."

"I missed you too …" Pavel trailed off, his "too" hanging in the air, sounding more like a "to", as though his sentence had been cut off midway. Hikaru frowned and raised his face. He heard Pavel take a little breath. And then another. And then …

"AACHOO!" Pavel sneezed, his whole body quaking in Hikaru's arms. A second sneeze erupted from him and he nudged Hikaru away.

"Pavel," Hikaru groaned as Pavel hurried away to the bathroom. "Have you been taking the meds Dr. McCoy prescribed –"

"Yes, I have!" Pavel called back just before the bathroom door slid shut. Hikaru heard the muffled sound of him blowing his nose, and then, "It is not working!"

"Are you sure you've been taking it? I know how you are with that kind of thing."

The door opened again and Pavel stepped out. "What does that mean?"

"You know how you are," Hikaru said as he headed for the bedroom. He tapped a button on the panel next to the bedroom door to keep it from closing behind him and then began changing out of his dirt-smudged clothes. "You don't like taking medicine, you don't like admitting you need help and you don't like change."

"I have been taking it," Pavel insisted. Hikaru glanced out into the main area; Pavel was back inside his hologram, poking a little more forcefully at stars. "Your plants are resistant to everything Dr. McCoy has given me."

"Not the earth ones."

"No, not the earth ones," Pavel conceded. "But the more exotic varieties, it is as though they are out to get me."

Hikaru chuckled. "They're not out to get you, Pasha."

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? You don't like it anymore?"

"You call me that when you are humoring me. It is annoying."

Hikaru came out of the bedroom in boxers, with a towel slung over his arm. "I'm sorry," he said as he approached the hologram. Pavel was fully engrossed in his task once more; his little universe slowly spinning and twinkling around his slender form. "I don't mean to make light, I just … You know, I bet there are more than a few species that you won't react to."

Pavel shook his head, his brow furrowed. "They all hate me."

"They don't _hate_ you. They're plants, Pavel, they can't hate. And who could possibly hate you?"

Pavel's work slowed and he glanced over his shoulder at Hikaru. His expression softened and he even offered Hikaru a little smile. "You are covered in pollen," he said. "Some of us would like to give you a proper hello, you know."

"I know, I know. Gonna go shower now." Hikaru indicated the towel on his arm as he stepped through the hologram and headed for the bathroom. The door slid shut behind him and he sighed and shook his head. He loved Pavel to death, but Pavel could be such a stubborn thing. He made things far more complicated than they needed to be. Hikaru wondered if his favorite hobby and his boyfriend would have to remain separate forever. It sapped his energy just thinking about it.

 

  
**Say Hello to My Little Friend**   


The next day, Pavel stepped into his quarters after a long shift. He'd since moved all the furniture back where it belonged and his hologram generator was sitting on the coffee table. All was quiet.

Pavel pulled his uniform shirt off as he headed for the bedroom, glancing at Hikaru's desk on his way past it. The computer was turned off and the book Hikaru was reading (a large, old earth book called _Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor_ ) was sitting in one corner, next to the potted plant. There was a very natural progression to the items on Hikaru's desk; the lamp was in the far upper-left corner, and to the right and forward of that was the computer, and directly next to that was Hikaru's coffee mug, and next to that was his PADD. Behind all of these, not far from the lamp, was Pavel's picture in a silver frame, next to which was the plant, and next to that was the book. The progression was very organic, one item leading naturally to the next; lamp on first, then computer, mug then taken and filled with something hot to drink, then PADD checked for whatever assignments and lists Hikaru was keeping track of. It made sense and yet it irked Pavel something terrible, because to the naked eye it simply looked like a bunch of _stuff_ scattered across the desk with no real order or purpose. The idea was good; the execution needed work.

He stepped toward the desk and couldn't resist the urge to nudge the book just a little bit, making all its edges parallel with all the desk's edges. That was something at least. He relaxed a little. He then finally noticed the note on the desk waiting for him. Pavel frowned as he leaned over and read the little square bit of paper.

>   
> _Poker with Scotty, Gaila, a few others. Have dinner without me. Love you._   
> 

Pavel frowned more. He usually knew about Hikaru's poker nights several days in advance. This one must have been spur of the moment. Pavel had just seen Scotty earlier that day, and the day before and the day before that, and he hadn't mention anything about a poker game. Pavel didn't care for poker with Gaila. He had yet to devise the perfect method for beating her. Her tells were impossible to decipher. Hikaru said that was part of the challenge, but it simply frustrated Pavel and he'd vowed not to go back to another game until he'd figured her out. He'd gathered enough information about her for study (hand gestures, nervous ticks, breathing patterns, voice inflections, speech patterns – the list went on), and once he'd managed to put together an initial analysis of her game play, he'd go back in for more info. Everybody had a pattern. _Everybody_. She was no different.

With a sigh, he stepped into the bedroom and the door shut behind him. A second later it opened again and he poked his head back out, his shirt still in his hand.

He stared at the potted plant as though it had suddenly appeared out of thin air. It may as well have, because it wasn't supposed to be there. Hikaru knew how allergic Pavel was to certain types of pollen and they had yet to figure out which ones didn't affect him. What had Hikaru been thinking, bringing this thing in here? The pollen was probably everywhere by now, Pavel would be up all night sneezing himself to death …

But Pavel wasn't sneezing and he hadn't felt the slightest tickle since stepping into the room. He sniffed tentatively at the air. Nothing. He inhaled more deeply. Still nothing. Huh.

He stepped cautiously toward the desk, eyes on the plant. It was a deeply-saturated green, its limbs sprouting out of the dirt, looking eerily like tentacles, as though a green octopus had been buried upside-down in the dirt. Instead of suckers, it had tiny blooms lining its tentacle-like limbs. They were a paler green than the rest of the plant and formed bunches that dotted each limb. The higher up they were situated, the smaller they became as each tentacle began to taper, until they were reduced to single blooms at the very tips. It was fairly large for a desk plant, its limbs spilling out over the side of the pot, some long enough to coil on the desk. It was shiny and looked like it might even be a little moist or slimy. It didn't look like anything that Pavel would want to touch, but he'd always been a little too curious for his own good. When he reached out and touched it, it wasn't wet at all, only smooth and slippery.

"So, you don't have it in for me, eh?" Pavel said under his breath, still poking experimentally at the plant and eying it suspiciously. "Well … I suppose I am somewhat pleased about that. Living with me has forced all of Hikaru's favorite plants into the greenhouse. I may have felt a little guilty about that … And I am talking to a plant."

With a shake of his head, Pavel retracted his hand, turned and headed back toward the bedroom. But something stopped him, a soft, barely noticeable noise. Like a purr. He froze mid-step and slowly glanced over his shoulder to where the plant sat. All was quiet and still. Perfectly normal. Except …

One of the tentacles was positioned differently now. The one Pavel had touched. Eyes wide, Pavel approached again, hunching over slightly, trying to get a good look at the plant without getting too close. But it didn't move again and Pavel was soon right up close, his face inches away.

"Hello?" he whispered, peering into the tangle of tentacles. "Hello, little plant. You moved, didn't you?" He narrowed his eyes. "I knew you were up to something."

The tentacle he had touched quivered and its tip curved upwards off the desk a little, as though it was sniffing the air. Pavel panicked and fled several paces backward, clutching his shirt to his chest as though it could shield him. The tentacle angled its tip in Pavel's general direction. Surely, the thing couldn't _see_ him. Pavel gulped.

"What?" he said, frowning now. "What do you want?"

 _Purrrrr,_ said the plant.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Pavel approached again. He had to determine whether or not this thing was actually a threat before he could get on with his evening. The tentacle shifted and the plant purred at him again as he stepped forward. The other tentacles began to move as well, just a little, as though getting excited that he was coming back. Pavel's heart pounded nervously in his chest.

As he came closer, the tentacle, _his_ tentacle as he'd begun to think of it, extended toward him, uncoiling itself and raising up off the desk like a snake, its tip curling as though trying to grasp at something. Pavel gulped again and put his hand out, his fingers reaching out cautiously and finally achieving contact. The plant purred and the tentacle's tip wrapped gently around Pavel's index finger.

Pavel tried to relax as he stood and watched. He came right up to the desk and looked down into the now writhing mass of green limbs.

"Okay, so maybe you are not so bad," he said. The plant's response seemed was to extend another tentacle and caress one of Pavel's bony hips. Pavel giggled and pulled away. "You are getting fresh." He raised his free hand and petted one of the other limbs. It quivered under his fingers for a moment and then extended toward him to lick at his other hip. Pavel was prepared for the sensation this time and allowed it. If he could make peace with this thing, it could only work in his favor, finally allowing Hikaru to have one of his beloved plants in their quarters and proving that Pavel was not as opposed to change as Hikaru apparently thought he was. This was a test, Pavel thought. Hikaru had brought this plant here to test him.

"Well, okay, then," Pavel said. "You can explore me a little. But only a little, just enough to get to know me."

The plant seemed to understand, to Pavel's surprise, and more tentacles reached toward him. They flicked and caressed his belly, and Pavel laughed, his belly quaking as plant fingers tickled at him, but he stayed where he was, even thrusting his hips forward a little and pulling the plant closer, letting it get a really good feel or smell or whatever it was doing to him.

Okay, so he was getting a little hard. It was a new, strange sensation, being felt up by a plant. It didn't mean anything. His pants became a little tented and before he could stop it, one of the tentacles grazed across his bulge, making him gasp a little, but he didn't pull away.

"That didn't happen," he said to the plant with mock sternness. "If you don't tell Hikaru that I let you do that, then I won't tell him that you felt up his boyfriend. Deal?"

The plant purred at him and then hooked one of its tentacle tips over the waistband of his pants.

"Seriously? You think I am going to let you in there?"

The plant cooed and actually tugged at his clothes, which made Pavel wonder exactly how much this plant was aware of. He decided it must be responding to his pheromones, but pheromones were secreted from sweat glands all over the body, so if it looked as though this thing was deliberately trying to get at his penis … well, that couldn't be right, could it?

"Interesting," he said. He'd never heard of a species of plant doing anything like this. Leave it to Hikaru to locate a perverted plant species and bring it home with him. Pavel chewed his lip and regarded the plant, considering the two very different paths stretching out before him.

Surely no one would fault him for being curious.

He pulled his hands away from the plant and brought them to his waistband. His fingers hung there for a moment, hesitating, and then he unfastened his pants and pushed the open folds out of the way. One less layer of clothing between the plant and Pavel's warm, pheromone-rich crotch. The plant seemed to sense that it was closer to its goal; the tentacles wriggled and the purring became happy trilling. Pavel had to laugh.

"Oy, how did I get here?" he muttered to himself as he pushed his underwear down out of the way. He had to cast his gaze upward, away from what he was doing, because even standing here by himself with no one to see him, he was embarrassed. He could feel his entire head warming up with a blush of shame. Or maybe it was arousal. In any case, his cock flopped out and the head landed right smack in the middle of all those excited tentacles.

They were slightly cool against his sensitive skin but quickly began to warm up at the points of contact. He hazarded a glance down as two of them began to wind themselves around his shaft. The smooth plant skin and soft, velvety blooms felt quite nice, and then a third tentacle began to flick gently across his slit. Pavel's body shuddered and his eyes unfocused a little.

His heartbeat quickened as he watched a fourth tentacle snake its way into the boxers sitting low on his hips and wrap around his balls. Pavel groaned and widened his stance, even bending his knees intermittently as though dipping his balls into someone's mouth. He thought of Hikaru and groaned even more, his hand moving up to a nipple and giving it a pinch.

The tentacles caressing his belly and hips no longer tickled. Now the sensation was purely erotic. The ones gripping his shaft were shifting, rubbing him with surprising coordination and soon the pleasure built to the point where Pavel could no longer find it in himself to be ashamed. Now, the bizarreness of the situation, the wrongness of it, was a turn-on. He widened his stance a little more and rolled his hips. He dropped his hand from his chest and pushed his pants and underwear further down, completely exposing himself, and then he rested his fingertips on the desk for support.

He felt tentacles wrap around his wrists. He let them hold him and he tugged at them just enough to test their grip. They were holding on tight, not wanting to let him go. Something about that made his dick twitch. The plant seemed to sense the spike in Pavel's arousal and rubbed him faster. Pavel dropped his head back and moaned at the ceiling.

He was so engrossed in the pleasure, that when strong arms wrapped around him from behind, Pavel jumped and gasped in shock.

"It's okay, baby," Hikaru murmured. "It's just me."

"'Karu!" Pavel breathed, his heart jumping. Meanwhile, the plant was still working its magic and soon the shock dissolved and Pavel's body was writhing in Hikaru's arms.

"See?" Hikaru whispered against Pavel's neck. "They don't all hate you."

"You did this on purpose," Pavel groaned, putting his head back again and turning his face toward Hikaru's, trying to nuzzle at him. "You wanted this to happen."

Hikaru chuckled, his hands roaming about Pavel's chest and belly. "I wanted you two to bond, that's all. If I'd known all _this_ was gonna happen, I would've hung around."

"I don't think I believe you - _oh_!" Pavel looked down to see the third tentacle nudging gently against his slit, like a tongue prodding at it. The sensation made him quiver all over.

"Friendly, isn't she?" Hikaru murmured. "Her name is Suki. Wanna get to know her a little better?"

Pavel didn't know what that meant, but he felt so good already and he could only assume that "better" would feel even more amazing. "Yes," he breathed. "Yes, please."

 

  
**Pavel + Plant = … Good?**   


This really hadn't been what Hikaru had intended. This particular species was extremely friendly with certain people, but Hikaru hadn't thought that Pavel would get close enough for her to … well. And he'd assumed that Pavel's anxiety would make Suki too uneasy to want to explore him much. Apparently not.

He hated to interrupt, but Pavel wanted to go further. So, Hikaru helped Pavel out of his remaining clothes, crouching down as he pushed both pants and underwear all the way to the floor, allowing Pavel to step out of them. He chucked them carelessly aside as he straightened back up, his eyes glued to Pavel's body, the long, lean muscles in his slender limbs, his pert little ass, his narrow waist. Hikaru stepped to the side to just admire Pavel for a moment. He could see Pavel's profile now. Pavel was looking down to watch what Suki was doing to him, but then Pavel glanced sidelong at Hikaru. He licked his lips and eyed Hikaru with as much dark lust as Hikaru felt.

Hikaru stepped close again, this time taking Pavel's jaw in his hand and holding him steady as their lips came together. Hikaru's tongue went deep into Pavel's mouth, his free hand going around to rest on Pavel's hip and hold him close. Hikaru could hear the pleasure in Pavel's breathing, the quivering in his heavy breaths in and out through his nose. He was going to come any second, but Hikaru didn't want to let him just yet.

He broke the kiss, receiving a needy whimper from Pavel, who gave him the sad puppy eyes, but Hikaru only smiled at him. "Hang tight, baby," he said as he stepped around Pavel to the desk chair, pulled it out and turned it sideways to face Pavel. "Kneel on that for me."

"Why?" Pavel asked, but Hikaru was already darting away to the bedroom. He returned a second later with a little bottle of lubricant. Pavel eyed it with a knowing look in his eyes. Hikaru came to stand next to him again, catching Pavel's eye and wordlessly asking if he wanted to continue. Pavel looked right into his eyes and gave him a single nod.

Hikaru pried Suki off of Pavel and she purred sadly at him. He stroked her lovingly, cooing at her, telling her to just hang on a second while Pavel knelt on the chair. Pavel gripped the backrest for support and he leaned forward, pushing his bottom out and positioning his knees as far apart as the chair would allow. Hikaru admired his ass for a moment, cupping and squeezing it, teasing Pavel's hole with a fingertip. He couldn't help himself, he had to lean over and have a lick. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but he stayed there, sort of half crouched, and flicked his tongue across Pavel's opening, drawing gasps and whimpers from him.

Hikaru licked a finger and carefully slid it inside to massage Pavel's prostate. Low, sporadic groans came out of Pavel, his hole tensing and gripping Hikaru's finger, and when Hikaru looked down he noticed Pavel's toes curling and uncurling over and over. Hikaru straightened up and petted Pavel's back with his free hand. "Why don't you open up a bit more for me?" he murmured. "Get a leg up on the desk."

With a whimper, Pavel glanced down at the desk next to him and then over his shoulder at the part of it that fell behind him. Suki was waiting just next to his ass, her tentacles undulating, reaching out toward him and flicking at his thighs. Somewhat awkwardly he raised the leg closest to the desk and, careful not to knock Suki over, rested the side of his knee, shin and foot, still in its sock, on the desk's surface, Suki situated just next to the underside of his knee. She purred happily and let her tentacle slither up onto Pavel's calf.

Hikaru withdrew his fingers, with much protesting from Pavel, and took a step back to have a good look. Suki was groping impatiently, reaching toward his ass, but not quite close enough to reach. Meanwhile, Pavel leaned forward just a bit more, arching his back, his little asshole on perfect display. Hikaru saw one of his hands appear down between his legs, watched it wrap around his balls and give them a squeeze and a tug.

"Fuck, you're like a drug to me," Hikaru said as he moved forward to bury his face in Pavel once more. Suki poked and flicked at his shoulder, trying to get his attention. "You'll get your turn," Hikaru's muffled voice said. Pavel giggled.

"Are the two of you fighting over me?" he asked.

Hikaru gave his hole an affection lick and said, "Of all the people who have probably fought over you, this has gotta be the most bizarre, right?"

Pavel moaned as Hikaru slipped two fingers inside him. "No one has ever fought over me before."

"I find that hard to believe." Hikaru felt around deep inside Pavel, slowly finger-fucking him and scissoring him open, getting Pavel thoroughly worked up. Pavel humped the air, his hips rocking steadily, a hand down below tugging at his cock.

"D'you trust me, baby?" Hikaru whispered.

"Yes," Pavel whispered back without hesitation. He glanced back over his shoulder, into Hikaru's eyes. "Yes, I do."

Hikaru gave him a soft smile and petted his back, just holding his gaze for a moment. The blush that graced Pavel's cheeks and nose seemed to grow darker and he returned Hikaru's smile. Hikaru picked that moment to stroke at Pavel's prostate and Pavel looked away as a tremor vibrated through his body, his back arching, his ass pushing back further, sinking Hikaru's fingers deeper inside him.

A little lube in Pavel's hole and then some on one of Suki's tentacles. Hikaru couldn't quite believe he was doing this, that Pavel was allowing it. He'd been pretty sure that this was a secret he'd have to take to his grave and he'd been fine with that, but then Pavel had come along and Hikaru had been caught completely off guard by him, by his often awkward honesty and his sweetness; the way he, in his way, was accepting of all of Hikaru's quirks and secrets. His big, blue gaze made Hikaru want to spill his guts, tell him everything. Perhaps he had doubted before that he could tell Pavel certain things, but not anymore. Not now, as he shifted Pavel's chair closer to the desk, angling it so that his cock was resting right on the desk's edge, not as he then guided Suki's lubricated tentacle to Pavel's hole. He watched her testing, feeling around, her tip gently prodding, lapping at Pavel's perineum and making him whine and writhe. Then she finally found her target and almost immediately started to burrow.

Pavel gasped. Suki was less gentle than Hikaru would have liked, but Pavel was already a little loosened up, and frankly he didn't seem terribly worried about Suki's enthusiasm. In fact, he pushed back against her probing the same way he'd pushed back against Hikaru's. Her little flowers were torn right off as Pavel's tight hole engulfed her. They rained down onto the desk, the chair and the floor below as Pavel's panting and moaning grew harder, louder.

"Easy there, girl," Hikaru murmured, stroking Suki, trying to calm her. "Let him adjust a little. Slowly, that's it."

She seemed to relax a bit as Hikaru petted her and spoke to her. And then one of her free tentacles reached out and began tugging at his pants. He chuckled.

"Greedy thing," he laughed. He noticed Pavel looking over his shoulder as he, Hikaru, tugged his pants open and held his underwear open just enough for Suki to snake her way inside. Her soft, velvety flowers wrapped around his length and he closed his eyes with a contented sigh.

"You have done this before," Pavel said, his pleasure evident in every syllable, his voice breathy and soft. Hikaru opened his eyes and looked down at him. If Hikaru had been worried he'd see judgment in Pavel's eyes, his fears were instantly dispelled. There were a lot of things in those big, blue eyes; lust, hunger, curiosity, but no judgment.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I have. Gets lonely in space," he joked. Then he sobered a little and quickly added, "But not since you, Pavel. Haven't done it since you and I got together - _ugh_ ," he grunted, having to pause as Suki slipped down between his legs and began pressing against his perineum. He spread his legs for her and stroked her lovingly.

"It is okay," Pavel whispered. "I understand. It is – oh! – so tempting, even I couldn't – oh, god!" She was really buried in him now, and Pavel was even trying to shift backwards to allow her in further. His hole was so full of her, Hikaru just stared, his prick jerking in Suki's grip.

"Fuck," Hikaru cursed under his breath as he watched. Pavel was hot anyway, but this was just about the hottest thing Hikaru had ever seen him do, opening up and letting one of Hikaru's plants in like this, wriggling back and encouraging the probing, letting it fuck him. Suki felt Hikaru's arousal intensify and upped her efforts down between his legs.

Pavel was really jerking off now, his arm pumping furiously, the muscles in his bicep tense with effort. Hikaru just had to go to him. He gently pried Suki off himself and moved around to Pavel's front. Pavel had lowered his forehead to the arm bracing him against the backrest, but Hikaru stroked his hair and Pavel looked up at him, his eyes dazed and dark, his face flushed. Hikaru gazed down at him as he moved his pants and underwear down a little to free his cock. No words were needed. Pavel opened right up, panting hungrily, and Hikaru angled himself into Pavel's eager mouth. Hikaru sighed and pushed his hips forward, resting a hand on the back of Pavel's head, cradling it while Pavel sucked.

 

* * *

Suki's tentacle was in constant motion inside Pavel, squirming and undulating, swelling and shrinking as though she was breathing, and always managing to nudge at his prostate, making it impossible for him to keep quiet. He felt her wrapping around his balls too, massaging them. He stroked himself faster. He was going to come any second. Having Hikaru in his mouth, the warm, musky scent of him filling Pavel's nose, only encouraged Pavel's climax, as did that big hand on the back of his head, petting him, making him feel almost like child being fed and cared for.

"That's my good boy," Hikaru murmured. Pavel loved it when Hikaru called him that. Pavel squirmed back against Suki's probing, so content he thought he could stay like this forever. He could hear the strain in Hikaru's voice and knew that meant that he, Pavel, was doing a very good job. He forced himself to stop jerking off and instead used that hand to play with Hikaru's balls while he sucked. He heard Hikaru groan above him, and when Pavel changed his technique just a little, Hikaru's body shuddered, his hips jerking forward, forcing him against the back of Pavel's throat. Pavel gagged a little.

"I'm sorry, baby," Hikaru cooed, panting, his voice quiet but almost urgent now. Pavel quickly got his gag reflex under control and showed Hikaru that he was fine by taking him all the way in. Hikaru pumped into him experimentally and then began fucking Pavel's mouth.

And then, with a long, hard groan, Hikaru was coming, hot spurts onto Pavel's tongue. Hikaru's fingers gripped at the hairs at the nape of Pavel's neck and Pavel watched Hikaru's taut belly muscles flex convulsively as Hikaru's body emptied right down his throat.

When Hikaru pulled out of Pavel's mouth, Pavel looked up at him, swallowing and then licking his lips. Hikaru smiled lazily at him as he put himself away and refastened his pants, his lovely bronzed chest rising and falling fast.

"You're my good boy," he whispered as he leaned over and placed soft kisses on Pavel's waiting mouth. Pavel strained up to meet him halfway, his body arching gracefully as Suki continued to writhe inside him.

"You didn't come, did you?" Hikaru said when their lips parted. Pavel shook his head. With a nod and a single kiss to Pavel's forehead, Hikaru straightened up and went around to Pavel's back. Pavel felt him trying to pull Suki out of him. He sighed and winced as she was removed, and he heard her plaintive purrs and felt her trying to cling to him to no avail. Hikaru came back to his front and held his hands out to him. Pavel took them and got shakily up off the chair. Hikaru pulled Pavel into a one-armed embrace, kissing him again as the two of them moved across the room to the sofa.

"I don't think you know how much I love you," Hikaru said when the kiss broke. He took a seat and patted his lap. With a shy grin, Pavel lowered himself and settled there, slipping his arms around Hikaru's neck.

"Of course I know," he whispered, nuzzling at Hikaru's face.

"No. I don't think you do." Hikaru thoroughly licked his hand and brought it to Pavel's still very hard cock. He began stroking it as he said, "I don't think my baby could possibly know how much I love him."

Pavel whimpered as he rested his forehead against Hikaru's and shut his eyes.

"You're incredible, you know that?" Hikaru continued. "I feel so fucking close to you right now, you have no idea." He rubbed Pavel faster, his other arm clinging to Pavel's body, holding him close. Pavel felt Hikaru kiss his shoulder and he wrapped his arms more snugly about Hikaru's neck, clinging a little himself.

"I used to worry," Hikaru went on, "about telling you certain things. But I'm not worried anymore. You're so beautiful, and so open when given the chance to be, I know I can share all of me with you."

Pavel's chest swelled with a sense of pride, not so much in himself, but in this, what they had, their relationship. He wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve the undying trust and love of this man, but he'd take it. He only hoped he could continue to prove himself worthy. Suddenly feeling incredibly needy, he cupped Hikaru's face, turned it upward and brought their lips together just as his body shuddered and began to spill all over both of them. He breathed hard through his nose as his muscles tensed and he wriggled on Hikaru's lap. Hikaru milked him and cradled him, even rocking him a little until Pavel was empty, exhausted, and wilted against his strong body.

"I love you, Pasha," Hikaru whispered. Pavel smiled at the nickname, it making him feel warm inside.

"Love you too," Pavel replied as he brushed his nose against Hikaru's face. "I have a confession to make."

"Mm?"

"I may not have been taking my meds the way I am supposed to."

Hikaru pulled his face back a bit and gave Pavel a half amused, half scolding look. "I knew it."

Pavel shrugged sheepishly. "I am busy, Hikaru, sometimes I forget."

"Naughty boy."

"I will take it properly from now on, I promise. So, are you going to tell me about her?"

"Her? Oh, you mean, Suki." Hikaru suddenly turned shy, his cheeks blushing a little. "You really wanna know?"

"Yes. If you are comfortable telling me."

Hikaru sighed. "Okay, you asked for it. Comfy?"

"Da," Pavel whispered, resting his head against Hikaru's again.

"Okay, well, I found her on Erosia IV. Yeah, the pleasure planet. The species feeds on pheromones, so that's the perfect place for it to thrive. Um … I should probably mention it was kind of a, uh, lonely time for me …"

 

  
**But Then There Was That Scottish Guy**   


Hikaru made his way to the Engineering deck to see what his boyfriend did with so many of his evenings. Pavel and Scotty could spend hours together down there doing God knows what, half of which wasn't even necessary.

"'Always room for more efficiency,'" Pavel would say, quoting Scotty on multiple occasions. "'You can never have too much power.' That is what Mister Scott says."

"Oh, is that what he says?" Hikaru asked, also on more than one occasion and usually with an amused smirk. "Never would've known that had you not told me just now. And yesterday. And last week."

"You think you are funny, don't you? You should come spend some time with us one evening, then you will see what I am talking about."

Hikaru did think he was funny, actually, but the most amusing thing was that Pavel seemed genuinely oblivious to the fact that he, Pavel, had a little hero worship crush on Scotty. Hikaru could see it. Every time Pavel talked about Scotty, his eyes lit up. It was cute, actually. Pavel was always cute when he got enthusiastic about things. He was excitable and kind of fluffy and he talked with his hands and he moved around a lot, unable to keep still while he spoke. He didn't actually gush about Scotty, per se. He went on and on about things Scotty had said or a particularly unconventional way Scotty had fixed this or adjusted that, and how he, Pavel, was learning so much from the ship's second officer.

It was a harmless crush, Hikaru told himself. It was perfectly healthy and something everyone felt from time to time. And Scotty was a good friend and a great guy, so if Pavel was going to go crushing on anyone, it might as well be someone Hikaru liked.

It had been a couple of days since Hikaru had admitted his little secret to Pavel and Hikaru hadn't forgotten how understanding and non-judgmental Pavel had been. So, Hikaru decided to show more interest in what Pavel got so excited about and he finally accepted Pavel's invitation to join him and Scotty in Engineering.

He stepped out onto the Engineering deck. It was so different down here, so industrial, not sleek and streamlined like the rest of the ship. It was metal and steam and thrumming machinery. It was a little too hot in places, too cool in others. It was bright, angry signs warning of danger at every turn, it was spindly-looking stairways and catwalks that didn't quite look like they could support a man's weight. Hikaru wondered how there wasn't a fatal fall down here every other week. It was where Scotty lived much of the time, and it was more or less Pavel's second home. Which was surprising to Hikaru; Pavel craved order, and Engineering was, at best, controlled chaos. Maybe there was a part of him that craved a little chaos too.

Hikaru headed up a set of stairs and across a catwalk, and it didn't take long to find them; their animated discussion carried, even with all of the humming and droning machinery. They were throwing complicated terms and strings of digits back and forth, and then there was laughter. Hikaru stepped around a corner and found them several feet away, hunched over a console, their backs to where Hikaru stood.

He paused and just watched them for a moment. Something felt off somehow. He squinted at them; they were standing side by side, discussing work. There was nothing out of the ordinary, except for the persistent feeling that something was.

Then Pavel looked at Scotty and Hikaru could just see his profile, the smile on his face as he expressed what was surely an extremely complex idea. Hikaru was no slouch, but even he had trouble following Pavel's trains of thought sometimes. Theoretical physics just wasn't his area, so he was pleased that Pavel had Scotty to unload his ideas on. It spared Hikaru and Pavel from some very frustrating conversations.

Then Hikaru saw Scotty smile back at Pavel, and if Hikaru didn't know better he would have sworn there was something different in Scotty's eyes.

And that was when it hit him. It wasn't something anyone else would have noticed, but Hikaru had spent enough time with Scotty socially to pick it up. Scotty was a cuddly guy. He'd pat you on the back, squeeze your arm, sling his arm across your shoulders. He was loud and boisterous and the only difference between Scotty at work and Scotty in a pub was the absence of profanity (usually). He was jovial, happy and very physical.

Now, standing there with Pavel, he was subdued. It was like there was a buffer between them, an invisible barrier that Scotty refused to cross. Hikaru had been standing there for nearly a minute and Scotty had kept his hands to himself the entire time.

Perhaps he was being more professional because they were alone and any touchy-feely business could be misconstrued. But by Pavel? Pavel wouldn't realize he was being hit on if the person in question did a strip tease on his face.

So … hang on. Was that what Hikaru thought? That Scotty was attracted to Pavel? Nah … well, maybe.

Hikaru couldn't deny the look in Scotty's eyes, and when Pavel finally broke eye contact, Scotty's gaze lingered, something distinctly melancholy seeping into his expression. He finally looked away and, holy hell, he did a little double take that told Hikaru he didn't want to be looking away at all.

Hikaru cleared his throat. The two men turned to face him and Scotty looked a bit like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Hikaru watched him clear his throat and give an awkward wave, meanwhile Pavel grinned brightly and bounded over to him.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come," Pavel said.

"Nah, I said I would, didn't I? Listen, Pavel …" Hikaru gave Scotty the one-minute finger before pulling Pavel a little further away. "Does he know about us? About you and me?"

Pavel frowned. "I have never told him."

"Neither have I," Hikaru said thoughtfully.

Pavel's eyes widened. "Do you think he would think it inappropriate?"

"No, that's not why I'm asking. Pavel, I think he likes you."

Pavel blinked at him.

"You're giving me the deer-in-headlights on this one? Really, you had no idea?"

Pavel frowned again, this time with annoyance. "He does not _like_ me."

Hikaru had to laugh. "Are you kidding? You don't notice a marked difference between him alone with you and him around other people?"

"What difference?"

"He's awkward around you. Scotty is not an awkward guy, not by any stretch. He's easy going and comfortable around everybody. With you, he looks like a teenager trying to work up the courage to ask you out."

"Pfft!" Pavel said, waving a hand at Hikaru. "What is the matter with you tonight?"

"Oh, okay, so I'm crazy, right? What about the way he looked at you just a moment ago?"

"How did he look at me?"

Hikaru did his best dopey, besotted gaze. Pavel made the "pfft" noise again.

"Dude, you cannot be this oblivious," Hikaru said, but the look Pavel gave him made him switch gears immediately. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Just …" He sighed. "Let me have a chat with him, okay?"

"What are you going to say to him?" Pavel asked, worry in his eyes now. "You are not going to say to him what you have said to me. You will only embarrass yourself."

"No, I just wanna know where his head's at. Don't you? Now that I've brought it up, you're not curious at all?"

Pavel sighed and glanced over at Scotty, whose back was to them now, him having gone back to whatever he and Pavel had been working on. Hikaru could see wheels spinning in Pavel's head. He smirked.

"Just admit you like him."

Pavel glowered at him. "I do not like him. Not like that. I admire him. I look up to him. He is a very smart man."

Hikaru shrugged. "I dunno. He's kinda cute."

Pavel's expression softened. "You think he is cute now?"

"I always thought he was cute. And he's a sweet guy. I just don't go on and on about him like you do."

"I don't do that … You really think he is cute?"

Hikaru smiled. "That okay?"

Pavel shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Yes, of course. You are allowed to find other people attractive."

"So are you, you know."

Pavel frowned again, but only a little. He glanced at Scotty once more and bit his lip. "He is perhaps a _little_ cute."

"I knew it!"

Hikaru said this a little too loudly, drawing Scotty's attention. Scotty glanced over his shoulder at them and Hikaru sighed. He sensed an awkward conversation in his future, but not just yet. For now he let Pavel and Scotty nerd themselves out for his amusement. He stood back and watched as they explained all the adjustments and improvements they had made, and were planning to make, on an almost daily basis on top of all the other things that actually needed to be done.

"You guys do this for fun?" Hikaru asked. The night was drawing to a close and Pavel had stepped away to adjust the settings on some damn thing Hikaru hadn't quite understood the explanation for. It was just Hikaru and Scotty now, standing together on a catwalk overlooking the deck.

"Yup," Scotty said proudly, flipping a wrench in the air and easily catching it. "Why, what've you got against diagnostics?"

Hikaru smirked. "Nothing, if it gets you through the night. No, it's cool. It's cute that he has a mentor."

Scotty chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "A mentor. Is that what I am, then?"

"Yeah, I'd say so." Hikaru cleared his throat and added as inconspicuously as possible, "I love him, of course, so it's nice to see him so happy and passionate about something."

Scotty seemed to pause, his smile faltering as he examined Hikaru's face. He then glanced down and shuffled his feet. "Ah. Right."

"What?" Hikaru asked innocently.

"Nothing. I'm just a right idiot, that's all." He rolled his eyes. "I didn't know you and he were … I should've realized …"

"You like him, don't you?"

Scotty looked at him in alarm, clearly not realizing how obvious he'd been. "Hikaru, it's not like that –"

"No, it's okay –"

"I really had no idea you and he were –"

"Scotty, seriously, it's cool. I know you didn't know. We've kept it kind of quiet. For professional reasons. Pavel had no clue you liked him, otherwise he would've said something."

Scotty frowned. "Wait … if he didn't know, then how did you …?"

Hikaru smirked. "I could tell. The moment I walked in and saw you two, I could see it written all over you, man."

Scotty's face turned bright red and he covered his eyes with a hand. "Bloody hell." With a sigh, he dropped his hand from his face and looked at Hikaru with regretful, imploring eyes. "I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose, you know that, yeah?"

Hikaru shook his head. "Scotty, relax. I don't mind that you like him."

"Er … you don't?"

"I think it's kinda cute, actually. Especially considering that he likes you too."

Scotty blinked at him, his mouth falling slightly open and his brow furrowing in a look of adorable bemusement. "Eh?"

Hikaru chuckled. "Yeah, he likes you. I like you too, you're … you're nice." The words just came out and he wondered what the hell he was doing. There was a strange excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach and making his groin tingle. He looked away and shook his head. "I don't know why I said that."

"Wait, hang on … did he say that to you, that he's interested in me?"

"More or less."

"And you are as well?"

Hikaru took a breath, his tummy fluttering something terrible, and he nodded. "Yeah."

They stared at each other for a moment and Hikaru watched Scotty's mouth pull up into a lopsided smile, an amused and disbelieving look on his face. Scotty let out a nervous laugh and said, "I, uh … thank you. You're quite an attractive young man yourself. I mean, if that's alright to say. Which it probably isn't, but there it is."

Hikaru gave him a smile he would never dream of giving a superior officer under any other circumstance. His gaze was cool and a little flirty and it made him feel terribly sexy and a little dangerous. "Yeah, it's okay," he replied. "We are off duty, after all."

Hikaru saw a change in Scotty, then, saw a hint of swagger creep into his demeanor as he shifted his weight. Not cocky, exactly, but confident and flirtatious. That old Scottish charm was returning, the same charm Hikaru had seen on many occasions, the kind that looked damn good on the man, with that slanted smile and that mischievous gaze. It always made Hikaru watch Scotty a little enviously, made him wonder how it all came so easily to him, how he could command the attention of a crowd without even trying. He could tell stories of crises that Hikaru himself had been present to witness and yet somehow hadn't been able to recount with anywhere near the same level of storytelling skill. And Scotty always included Hikaru, always dragged him closer, slinging an arm around him and informing his rapt audience that this guy, this guy right here, had saved all their arses once again with his magical pilot's touch.

Hikaru realized that he admired the guy as much as Pavel did and that admiration was very quickly transforming into an attraction that Hikaru couldn't ignore. It hit Hikaru hard; months and months of getting to know this man, coming to like him in what had seemed a completely platonic way, and now, all of a sudden, everything that made Scotty a great friend seemed to also be the makings for an excellent … fuck buddy? Hikaru grinned at the thought and had to break eye contact for a moment. When he looked back at Scotty, he found Scotty's eyes making a trip down his body and Hikaru glanced away again, just letting him look, liking the attention.

Pavel came bounding around a corner, seemingly already in the middle of a sentence about the adjustments he'd been making. Both Hikaru and Scotty straightened up a little, trying not to look too obvious.

Later on, they all said goodnight and Pavel and Hikaru were on their way back to their quarters.

"I overheard some of your conversation," Pavel said suddenly.

Hikaru glanced at him. "What'd you hear?"

"Enough." Pavel bounded a few steps ahead and turned to face Hikaru, walking backwards in front of him, his face aglow with some crazy idea. "I am glad that we can discuss things like this," he said in a half whisper, like a kid with a naughty secret.

Hikaru smiled warmly at him. "It's not that big a deal, Pavel. We can talk about anything. After Suki …" He paused and shook his head, still in disbelief that that impromptu threesome had happened at all and had gone so well. "You and I don't have secrets anymore."

Pavel grinned. "Okay. Yes. Good. Soooo, I was thinking …"

"Mm-hm?"

"I love you. You know that."

"Yes, I know."

"But sometimes I think about … other things."

"Other _things_."

"Well, other people."

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, other _person_."

Hikaru laughed. "It's okay, you can just say it."

"I think about Mister Scott. With us."

"Both of us? Not just you?"

"Yes, both of us." Pavel spun around and took his place next to Hikaru again. "It is a, uh, fantasy of mine. Like you and Suki."

"Yeah, except Scotty's not a plant. Suki isn't about fantasy, Pavel. She was convenient during a certain time in my life. Scotty's not about convenience. Liking your superior is just about the most inconvenient crush you can have."

"It is just a thought I have sometimes. It means nothing."

Hikaru watched Pavel for a moment; he was flushed and biting his lip to keep from grinning too much. Hikaru laughed. "Means nothing, my ass. You're excited because I like him too."

"Well, yes, there is that." Pavel turned his big, happy gaze on Hikaru. "I am simply pleased that we can discuss these things. That is all."

Then Hikaru felt Pavel's hand take hold of his own. He looked down at that, then back up into Pavel's eyes. Even after nearly a year of dating, being affectionate in public, in their place of work, felt odd. But good too. Damn good. Hikaru squeezed his hand.

"You can tell me anything you like," Hikaru said, and then on a whim he released Pavel's hand and slipped his arm around Pavel's shoulders instead. Pavel's arm snaked around his lower back and they walked like that the rest of the way back to their quarters.

Pavel may have been an eighteen-year-old Starfleet officer, independent and capable, but he was still just a big kid in many ways. He was incredibly playful that night, in a way that Hikaru hadn't seen in months. He tackled Hikaru when they were both in their underwear, changing out of their uniforms, and pushed him down onto the bed. They landed in a giggling heap, and though Pavel tried to get the upper hand, Hikaru managed to pin him on his back. He straddled Pavel and held him down.

"Someone's playful tonight," he murmured as he leaned down to nuzzle at Pavel's face. Pavel arched his neck for him and hummed contentedly as Hikaru sucked his throat. Hikaru felt Pavel's body arching up off the bed, straining against his own, needing more contact. He released Pavel's hands and caressed a path down one of Pavel's arms with his fingertips, appreciating firm muscles along the way and pressing kisses over the steady pulse inside Pavel's throat. He kissed and sucked along Pavel's collar bone and felt Pavel's body responding, the increasingly rapid rise and fall of his chest, the firmness blooming down below.

"Tell me what you think about him," Hikaru whispered. He slipped down further to suck one of Pavel's nipples, his eyes popping up again and again to watch Pavel's face. Pavel was smiling now.

"You would really like to know?" Pavel asked, skepticism evident even through his arousal.

"Yeah. Is that weird?"

"Maybe." Pavel looked down at him, his eyes sleepy, his gaze indulgent. He brought his hands down and laid one on Hikaru's back, the other on the back of Hikaru's head. "But weird is okay. We are weird, you and I. We are different than everyone else, but we are – what is the saying? We are on each other's same page, eh?"

Hikaru grinned. He knew what Pavel was feeling. It was the same thing he, himself, had felt when he'd been able to be honest about Suki. This man was his partner, his soul mate. They were like one person at times. There was nothing they couldn't say within their private world.

"Do you trust me?" Hikaru asked.

"Yes," Pavel whispered.

"Then if you'd like to tell me about him, I'd really like to hear."

Pavel grinned, his cheeks growing pink with embarrassment and excitement. He squirmed a little beneath Hikaru's weight, his now very hard cock pressing against Hikaru's belly.

"I liked it," he said, sounding conspiratorial, "when he would sometimes get too close or look really deeply into my eyes. I will admit that I liked it."

"You really had no idea he was hitting on you? Jesus, Pavel."

"What? He is a friendly man, you said so yourself."

"Okay, okay, so what else, then? Keep going."

"I liked it when he touched me." Pavel's voice was soft now. Hikaru began kissing again, slinking lower and lower, stopping occasionally to suck a bright red bruise onto Pavel's pale skin.

"Did he do that a lot?" he asked. "He didn't seem too touchy-feely tonight."

"He hasn't been lately, but before … It was never sexual. He was just –"

"Friendly," Hikaru offered.

"Yes. He would pat my back or squeeze my shoulders, rumple my hair. He is like that with everyone."

"I know, I've seen it. But he's different with you now. I saw it when I walked into Engineering tonight. He's stopped touching you, baby."

Pavel's expression darkened with concern as he stared at the ceiling. "I have noticed. Why is that?"

"He likes you too much now. Touching you must scare him a little."

Pavel frowned. "Why?"

"Because. Don't you know what it's like to be near someone you like too much?" Hikaru asked, his hot breath wafting over Pavel's moist, kiss-bruised skin. "To have the urge to touch _all_ the fucking time and knowing that giving in will only hurt you, make you ache? That it'll only make you crave more?"

Pavel's expression softened and he was quiet. Hikaru wondered if he realized that Hikaru was talking about himself, the agonizing weeks before he'd worked up the courage to tell Pavel how he felt.

Pavel licked his lips. "You think he aches for me?" he whispered.

"Yeah, maybe a little." Hikaru then added in a whisper, "I think he jerks off at night thinking about you."

Pavel inhaled a shaky breath and Hikaru felt him grind his cock up against him.

"What have you been thinking about him?" Hikaru asked, urging Pavel to continue.

"I don't know. That he is funny. That I like his voice. And that … I miss having him touch me."

Hikaru made a low, growly noise in the back of his throat. He was down at Pavel's belly now and he flicked his tongue into his navel.

"I would have said something if he had really hit on me," Pavel quickly added.

"I know. I trust you."

Pavel raised his head to look down at him, this time with nothing but seriousness in his eyes. "You are sure?"

Hikaru stopped licking. "Completely. I know who you are. I know you'd never cheat on me."

Pavel seemed to relax a little. Hikaru slipped down a bit further and nuzzle at the warm hardness inside Pavel's underwear. "So, you think about him touching you?" he asked. He glanced up at Pavel again. Pavel's head was down again and Hikaru saw his Adam's apple move inside his throat. Pavel spread his legs and rocked his hips as Hikaru nuzzled at him.

"Yes," Pavel whispered. "I sometimes think about the two of us alone together inside a Jeffries tube and we are working, sitting close, and then maybe he notices a smudge of grease on my face and tries to wipe it off for me, and then …"

"Go on," Hikaru encouraged. He pulled the waistband of Pavel's underwear down and found Pavel's cock big and flushed and leaking against Pavel's tummy. Hikaru took hold of it after licking his hand and began stroking. Pavel whined and strained up into Hikaru's fist.

"And then," Pavel breathed, "he leans in and kisses me."

"Yeah?" Hikaru urged. He extended his tongue and licked up the underside of Pavel's shaft. Pavel sighed and his cock twitched when Hikaru's tongue flicked at the slit.

"Yes, and as we kiss he takes my hand and brings it to his … between his legs."

"Say it, baby. It's okay to say it."

"He is our superior. I can't say … I can't talk about his …"

Hikaru grinned. "Of course you can. He's got all the same parts we've got."

Pavel swallowed, continuing to hesitate. Deciding to help Pavel along a little, Hikaru lapped at the head of his prick, swirling his tongue all around it. Pavel's breathing hitched and his stomach muscles tensed.

"You don't have to," Hikaru said. "But if you want to talk about him like that, you can. You can say anything." He then took Pavel's cock right into his mouth and began to suck. Pavel moaned and squirmed.

"He … he takes my hand," Pavel continued, "and presses it between his legs, against … against his cock."

They both shuddered a little. Hearing Pavel say naughty words was always hot, but hearing him talk about a senior officer this way … Hikaru's belly fluttered the same way it had earlier in Engineering with Scotty. Hikaru hummed around Pavel's length, giving it a few thorough sucks before coming up again to say, "You think about his cock a lot, don't you?"

"Yes," Pavel said, the word coming out on a rush of breath, as though it had been trying to escape for weeks. "I think about … sucking him off while we are alone together. I think about hiding under his desk in his office and sucking him while he works or even while he is in a meeting."

Hikaru grinned. "Naughty boy." He then took Pavel into his mouth again, sucking hard and fast, making Pavel gasp.

"I think about him bending me over his desk and fucking me," Pavel blurted out.

Hikaru groaned again. He was throbbing hard too. He reached down and slipped his free hand into his underwear.

"And I think about him watching us," Pavel said, "and then joining in and fucking us both and I think about us all together, using each other, just fucking and sucking and being really nasty."

"Yeah, that's my boy," Hikaru growled, fisting Pavel's cock until he got his mouth around it again. He felt Pavel's fingers slide into his hair and grip it tight.

"I think about him coming all over my face and in my mouth," Pavel went on, hitting his stride now, "and then you fuck him and then I suck your come out of him and then I kiss him with it in my mouth and then you both make me come, and I come so hard for both of you … oh, oh, yeah …" he trailed off, his body shuddering and then spilling into Hikaru's mouth. All his muscles tensed, his words replaced by quick, hard breaths, his grip tight in Hikaru's hair. Hikaru sucked until the hot spurts of liquid stopped and Pavel's body relaxed, and then he carefully removed Pavel from between his lips, Pavel's come still inside his mouth. He pulled his hand from his underwear and slid up Pavel's body to kiss him, sharing his own come with him. Pavel opened right up to take it, his tongue slipping into Hikaru's mouth. His arms went around Hikaru's body and held on tight as Hikaru humped him hard and fast, grinding himself to climax moments later. He came hard inside his underwear, taking his mouth off of Pavel's, a string of spit and come connecting their lips for a moment before snapping free and laying across Pavel's cheek. Hikaru went back down to lap at his mouth and his cheek, cleaning Pavel up as his orgasm tapered off. He stopped and collapsed on top of Pavel.

"So," Hikaru panted. "So … you … like Scotty, is that what you're saying?"

"Perhaps … but I like you more," Pavel whispered into Hikaru's ear. Hikaru smiled and cuddled him. He hadn't needed Pavel to say that, but he was still very happy to hear it.

 

  
**Making McCoy Uncomfortable is Always Good For a Laugh**   


"Chekov, what the hell did you do?"

Leonard stalked back into Chekov's exam room with a scowl and a PADD in his hand. Chekov looked up at him with those big, innocent eyes of his, but that look never worked on Leonard. The kid wasn't about to get off easy here just 'cause he looked like that. Leonard stopped before Chekov and held up the PADD. "See this?"

Chekov stared at the screen. "I see it," he said. "What does it say?"

"Right here," Leonard said, tapping the screen with a thick finger. "Know what that is?"

"No, sir."

"Pollen. Know where I found it?"

Chekov looked even more innocent, which to Leonard meant "more guilty". "No, sir," Chekov said.

Leonard lowered the PADD and said, "Found it up your ass. You didn't digest it, either, which means it went in the other way."

Chekov gulped and said nothing.

"Listen, kid, it's none of my business what you do during your off hours, but I had to check twice just to make sure this wasn't the poisonous cousin of the species of plant that pollen came from. They're so similar, even botanists have trouble telling 'em apart, so I dunno how the hell you managed to."

"I didn't have to," Chekov said. "It wasn't my plant."

Leonard arched an eyebrow at him, examined him for a moment. Leonard wasn't stupid; Chekov and Lieutenant Sulu were close, lived together, and everybody knew Sulu was into botany. Well, it didn't take a genius to connect those dots, but who the kid was fucking wasn't Leonard's concern. He lowered his voice and said, "Look, I get the appeal. This particular species is well known for its … unique behavior. But you ain't no botanist, and I don't give a flying Hail Mary how knowledgeable the owner of the plant is; you never let somebody else do something to you that you don't fully understand. You hearing me, kid?"

Chekov blushed profusely. He did that a lot. He crossed his arms, hugging his hospital gown around himself more tightly and he didn't meet Leonard's eyes as he replied. "He is, uh … experienced with this species. The person who owns it. He knew it was not harmful."

With a sigh, Leonard raised his PADD and began tapping at it, muttering, "Kids."

"I am okay, yes? I can go?"

"Yeah, you're fine, far's I can tell," Leonard said without looking up. "Another clean physical. You know the drill; we'll test your samples and let you know if anything's off."

"You didn't ask me if I am taking the allergy meds?"

"Didn't have to. Already found adequate levels of the stuff in your blood."

"Oh … But if you could always tell I wasn't taking it properly before, why did you continue to ask if I was?"

Leonard finally stopped tapping his screen and glanced up at Chekov. "To see what you'd say. But you're taking it now and it's working, isn't it?"

Chekov nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good." At that, Leonard turned and headed for the door. "You can go now. Try and be careful with yourself, y'hear?"

He could hear Chekov shuffling around behind him, slipping down off the biobed and going to the chair where his clothes sat in a neat pile. Leonard was almost out of the room when Chekov's voice called, "Doctor?" Leonard stopped and glanced back. Chekov hesitated, but only for a moment. "I have questions," he blurted out. "Questions about … sex."

Leonard arched an eyebrow. "This about the plant?"

"No, no. Um … it is about … a complicated issue."

"Hmph. You wanna put your clothes on and come see me in my office?"

Chekov seemed to want that very much. He nodded emphatically.

"Alright, then. Come on over when you're dressed." At that, Leonard finally made it out of the exam room, rolling his eyes as he stepped out into Sickbay's main area. What could Chekov possibly need to ask? Leonard wasn't blind; he could see how attractive the kid was. He'd probably been having sex for a few years now. Still, that didn't mean he knew anything.

When Chekov stepped into the office, Leonard could see the second thoughts written all over his face. The door swished shut behind him and he glanced back at it as though he hadn't been expecting to be sealed inside. Leonard had never seen him this nervous. Chekov had never been afraid of Leonard. He'd always been a stupidly fearless little bastard, cocky even, and he'd never hesitated to speak his mind. Leonard wondered what the hell could be making the kid so nervous now.

Chekov took the visitor's seat before Leonard's desk and waited to be prompted.

"So?" Leonard said. "What is it? I don't suppose you got someone pregnant."

"No," Chekov said immediately. "No one is pregnant. I am … seeing Lieutenant Sulu."

Leonard nodded. "Yeah, I s'pose I knew that. This about him?"

"Sort of. Um … I am thinking about asking him about having a threesome."

Leonard stared, his mouth dropping open a little.

"I have never had one before," Chekov continued, speaking rather quickly now, as though he was racing his own nerves. "I have heard stories, of course. And I have seen, uh … films." He cleared his throat. "But I suspect that the things I have heard and seen have been somewhat exaggerated."

"You don't say," Leonard said. He sat back in his chair, his face scrunching up into a frown again. "So, what is it you wanna know?"

"How does one go about doing this? How does it … get started?"

Leonard brought a hand to his face and rubbed his temples. "I am not qualified for this conversation," he muttered.

"You have never had one, then?"

Leonard's hand dropped away from his forehead and he glared something fierce at Chekov. "I didn't say … Let's just concentrate on you, shall we?" He shifted in his seat. "How old are you again?"

"Eighteen, sir."

"Hmph. Well, I guess the first question you gotta ask yourself is 'why'."

"Why?"

"What are your reasons? There are always reasons."

"The person that I would like to ask, he is someone that Lieutenant Sulu is attracted to as well. We have discussed him. A lot." Chekov blushed more and glanced away, suddenly turning sheepish and coy. Leonard frowned at that. He didn't wanna know. He really didn't wanna know.

"Alright, alright, so you two have talked about it a bit," he quickly said, getting Chekov's attention back. "Something tells me the kinds of conversations you've been having ain't the kinds you need to be having. When I asked you why you wanna do this, the answer 'because he's hot' wasn't what I was looking for."

"Oh," Chekov said with a frown. "What other reason is there?"

"It's not about the other guy. It's about you and Sulu. Now, it may very well be that you're only interested in having a little fun. Fact is, guys often aren't all that complicated, but there's a damn good chance that there's something else going on here, and if there is, if there's some issue that needs addressing, you two screwing somebody else ain't gonna solve it. Quite the contrary."

"Ohhh," Chekov said, nodding. "You think we are trying to distract ourselves from something."

"I didn't say that was what I thought. I don't think anything, I'm just trying to get _you_ to think about it."

Chekov shook his head, a smug smile on his face now. "There is no problem, Doctor. Hikaru and I … we are okay. _More_ than okay."

Leonard held up a hand. "That's plenty, thank you." He lowered his hand with a sigh. "You know, kid, sex doesn't say it all. Just 'cause you two have it worked out in the sack, doesn't mean there aren't other things going on that aren't so great."

Chekov frowned. "We are fine, Doctor. I can assure you. We have an honesty and openness with each other that few people ever find. It is special. And it is real."

"Then why do you need to bring an outsider into your bed?" Leonard challenged.

Chekov was glaring now. He crossed his arms. "It is like I said, we both like him. We would like to have a little fun, that is all. I didn't come to you for therapy. I simply wanted to know how people go about doing this sort of thing."

Leonard sat back again. "There are different ways to go about just about everything. But you're asking me, so here's what I think: you have an honest conversation with your partner. You agree to things, lay down ground rules. Then you have a conversation with your victim, preferably just one of you, though. You don't both wanna corner him at once, that'll just overwhelm the poor bastard."

"Wait, hang on," Chekov said, frowning and sitting forward. "What do you mean 'ground rules'? There need to be rules?"

"God," Leonard sighed, glancing away. "I'm really not the guy you wanna be talking to."

"But you are a doctor; a physician and a psychologist. How can you not be the guy I need to be talking to?"

Leonard closed his eyes and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm about to suggest this."

 

  
**So, You Wanna Have a Threesome**   


"So, you two have talked about it already?" asked Jim.

Leonard stood close by, watching over the pair as they conversed on the sofa. He downed the rest of his bourbon and then wandered over to the bar in Jim's quarters to pour himself another. Leonard was extremely uncomfortable. First of all, Jim's quarters seemed far too personal and relaxed a place in which to have this conversation. The lighting was soft, and so were all the chairs. Jim had left his bedroom door open too. Well, he always did, but the bed was visible from where Jim and Chekov sat, which made Leonard uneasy for some reason.

He glanced at the pair; Jim was sitting close, his arm draped along the top of the backrest behind Chekov. Was it just Leonard, or did Jim always look like he was hitting on people when he spoke to them? Every time. Every single time. It was something in the eyes.

On top of that, Jim always had to have the last word. Leonard had more than a few things to say about what Chekov was asking, but now that Jim was involved, Leonard was fairly certain Chekov would never hear them. Leonard supposed having a drink wasn't really helping the unprofessional feel of the situation, but dammit, he needed it.

"Yes," Chekov replied.

"And that went well?" asked Jim.

"Yes, very well," Chekov replied with a hint of the same smug grin he'd worn in Leonard's office. Leonard rolled his eyes.

"Good. What about the guy, does he know you guys like him? Is he interested?"

"Is that really important?" Leonard interrupted. Jim shushed him.

"He knows," said Chekov. "And he is interested in both of us."

Jim grinned and nodded. "Nice."

 _"Jim,"_ Leonard hissed.

"Right, right, sorry." Jim cleared his throat. "Well, it's like the doc said, Chekov, there need to be rules, and here's why; doesn't matter how good you think your relationship is, doesn't matter how honest you can be with one another. The fact is, something like this can royally screw you, and not in the good way."

Chekov blinked his big doe eyes as he took that in.

"You can see how something like this can start out great and then go horribly wrong, can't you?"

"Yes," said Chekov thoughtfully. "But I really don't think Hikaru and I will have this problem."

"You might not, but you can't take chances. First thing you gotta think about is what's off limits. How much are you actually going to do with this other person? How much are you gonna let him do to each of you? How much are you gonna do in front of him? This is all important stuff."

Chekov thought for a moment. "Well … I just assumed that –"

"Ah, ah, ah," Jim interrupted, shaking a finger at Chekov. "Never assume. You gotta know for sure. You both need to be honest about what you're not comfortable with."

"Yes, okay, right, but what kinds of things might be off limits? It is sex; why would we not do everything?"

Jim smirked. "I like you, you know that?"

"Jim," Leonard said in a low, warning voice.

"Okay, lemmie ask you this," said Jim, ignoring Leonard. "Are you completely comfortable with the idea of Sulu getting fucked by this guy?"

Leonard tensed at the casually vulgar language Jim was using, but he held his tongue and watched Chekov consider the question.

"Yes, I think so," Chekov replied.

"You _think_ or you _know_?"

"He doesn't know," Leonard muttered.

"Let him answer, Bones. Chekov?"

Chekov looked from Jim to Leonard, then back again. "I am comfortable with it," he finally said.

Jim cocked his head. "Really?"

"Yes. Yes, I am sure."

"You're okay with the idea of him fucking this guy too? Or sucking him off or licking his ass or –"

"I think he gets the picture," Leonard interrupted again. He approached the sofa and stood behind it, looking down at Chekov's face. "You gotta ask yourself if you're really okay with your partner doing certain things with someone else. Even the simple act of kissing can be problematic 'cause it's so intimate. You gotta work all this stuff out beforehand, 'cause if you don't, it'll come right back to bite you in the ass."

"Also," added Jim, "make sure things aren't gonna get too real for anybody."

Chekov cocked his head. "Too real?"

"Feelings, Chekov. Sex messes with your head, makes everything you feel just a little more intense, and that can translate into hurt feelings later on."

Chekov nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Who's the guy?" Jim suddenly asked. Leonard opened his mouth to scold him, but Jim held up a finger, silencing him without even looking up at him.

Chekov raised his eyes to Jim's face. "I cannot say, sir."

"No? How come?"

"Because. He might get into trouble if people find out who he is."

"Huh. Why's that?"

"Because, sir … it might be inappropriate for him to be with us."

"I see," Jim said with a nod, looking more thoughtful now. "That's another thing you should consider: is it a good idea to do something like this with someone you work with, with someone who might be, say, a superior officer? It could get awkward later, or worse it could mess up someone's career."

Chekov nodded. "I have considered that. I know we would have to be discreet."

"Really? Because simply based on the people I know you interact with on a daily basis, and based on how many of them are male, and how many of _them_ have something to lose by sleeping with an ensign, I've managed to narrow it down to about twenty-five possibilities."

Chekov blinked at him.

"From there, all I need is a ballpark age group, and we can narrow it down even further. From there, all I'd need to do is pay attention for a few days, see who makes your eyes do that bright, twinkly thing they do when you get excited."

Chekov lowered his face and blushed something terrible.

"Gotta be careful, sport," Jim said, patting Chekov's arm. "It's way too easy for people to figure things out. In fact, simply based on what I've observed in the past, I could probably narrow it down right now to about five to ten guys."

Chekov looked at him again, narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you."

"No? Okay, let's see …" Jim sat back and crossed his legs. He began counting off names on his fingers as he said them. "Possible candidates, in alphabetical order 'cause I'm a show off: Burns, Ferrell, Lloyd, McPherson and Scott. And that's just the short list. Shall I keep going?"

Chekov gulped and looked away. Leonard stared at him, really watched him. Chekov had a few definite tells. Leonard couldn't really be sure which name he'd reacted to, but he could narrow it down to two.

"No, sir," Chekov mumbled at Jim.

"This isn't about embarrassing you, okay, buddy?" Jim said softly. "I'm just demonstrating the fact that no matter how discreet you think you are, there's always the chance that someone might figure things out. Always. Now, far be it from me to discourage kinky sex, but we all have careers to worry about here. I don't wanna see you screw up yours, or someone else's. Okay, pal?"

He patted Chekov's shoulder as Chekov looked up at him and nodded. "Have you figured out who it is?" Chekov asked.

"I think so. You'd be terrible at poker, you know."

Chekov frowned at that. "You are not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"Nah. Besides, it's not like anything's happened yet, right? This is all just talk. Hypothetical." Jim held up his hands to show his innocence. "I didn't hear nothin'."

Chekov gulped and nodded. "Thank you, sir. You have been very helpful."

Jim smiled at him. "My pleasure. Anymore questions?" Chekov shook his head. "Alright, get outta here, go have fun, don't break anything."

Chekov said "thank you" again to both of them and then hurried away. Leonard watched him go, feeling a little better about the whole thing. He'd questioned his own decision to let Jim talk to the kid, but now he knew he'd done the right thing. Leonard came around and took Chekov's vacated seat. He sat back and eyed Jim with quiet fondness.

"What?" Jim asked with a smirk. "I surprised you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, just like always," Leonard admitted. "You scared me for a minute there. You were talking to him like he was one of your buddies, like he was an equal. Made me nervous as hell, but you knew what you were doing. You got him to open up and then turned it around on him."

"Heh," Jim chuckled, rubbing his chin. "Liked that, did you?"

"Damn genius. You done good, kiddo. Chekov's really gonna give this whole thing some serious thought now, I reckon."

 

  
**Some Serious Thoughts**   


Pavel left the captain's quarters with a head full of jumbled thoughts. He wasn't even sure if he had been seriously considering a threesome, and he didn't know what had made him stop Dr. McCoy to ask all those questions. He hadn't been entirely comfortable asking Hikaru about it. He hadn't wanted Hikaru thinking that he seriously wanted a threesome when Pavel himself hadn't been sure, and what the captain and the doctor had told him had only made things more unclear. Well, one thing was certain: this was far more complicated than Pavel had originally thought.

So, as he walked through the ship on his way back to his and Hikaru's quarters, he decided to keep his conversation with the captain and doctor to himself. He also thought it might be best not to discuss Mister Scott quite so openly anymore. His name had come up on the captain's list of possible candidates and it had scared the hell out of Pavel. Yes, it was settled. Pavel would find Hikaru now and tell him that they shouldn't be so open about their interest in Mister Scott. Pavel still wanted the honesty, of course, the freedom to tell his partner anything. But with a little more discretion.

He stepped into his and Hikaru's quarters and found Hikaru at his desk, prodding a soil thermometer into Suki's pot. He didn't even look up when the door opened. Though Pavel supposed there had been plenty of times when he, himself, hadn't bothered to look up when Hikaru had come in, it still stung a bit. And Suki; Pavel could hear her purring from across the room. She sounded satisfied and even a little … smug? Was that possible? Pavel narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat.

"Hey," Hikaru said distractedly, still not looking up. "Where you been?"

"Out," Pavel said tersely as he approached the desk. "This is what you do when I am not here?"

"What?" Hikaru finally looked up at him, his expression changing to one of mild confusion upon seeing Pavel's expression. "What?" he repeated.

Pavel shook his head. "Nothing," he mumbled. "I have been thinking."

Hikaru swiveled his chair away from the desk to face Pavel, now giving him his full attention. Pavel's eyes darted from dirt smudge to dirt smudge on Hikaru's shirt, following a trail that led right down to his crotch where dirty fingerprints were smeared across his groin. Pavel frowned.

It was probably nothing. Hikaru got dirty a lot, his hobby sort of demanded it. Still …

"Pavel?" Hikaru said, standing up and stepping close, his expression now one of concern. "What's up? You okay?"

Pavel wiped his face clean of all expression, took a breath and then blurted out, "I think I would like us to have sex with Mister Scott."

Hikaru blinked at him. "A threesome? For real?"

"Yes, that is right. A threesome. I would like to do that, I think."

Hikaru nodded and stepped away. "Okay," he said as he headed for the bathroom. Pavel followed him.

"Okay what? Okay, we can do it, okay, you are listening, or okay, I am in trouble now?"

"Okay, I'm listening," Hikaru said. They stepped into the bathroom together and Hikaru proceeded to wash his hands. "How long have you been seriously considering this?"

"I don't know. A while, I guess." Pavel stood behind Hikaru and off to the side a bit, watching Hikaru's reflection in the mirror above the sink. Hikaru didn't look troubled. In fact, Pavel couldn't read him at all; his expression was rather blank.

"Think that's a good idea?" asked Hikaru.

"No," Pavel said honestly. "I think it could be complicated and make things weird later on. But if we go about it properly –"

"Whoa, whoa, what do you know about going about it properly?"

Pavel frowned again. "I know things. I know more than you think I know."

Hikaru finished washing up, then turned to face Pavel as he dried his hands. "You've never done anything like this before."

"Have you?"

"No, not exactly –"

"The plant doesn't count."

"I know that," Hikaru said with a frown. "But I'm still older than you, Pavel, I've still had several more years to consider the consequences of these kinds of things."

Pavel clenched his jaw. "I understand the consequences as well as you do."

Hikaru nodded and put his hand towel on the counter behind him. He leaned back against the counter's edge and regarded Pavel thoughtfully, cocking his head. "This is something you really want, huh?"

"Maybe. I don't know yet. I would like for us to discuss it. If that is okay with you."

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, we can talk about it. Now, or …?"

Pavel lowered his gaze and shuffled his feet. "We can talk now, if you want."

"Hey, come here."

Pavel looked up again and found Hikaru offering his hand. Pavel stepped toward him, into his arms.

"You sure you're okay?" asked Hikaru. "You seem tense."

"I am fine," Pavel said, not quite meeting Hikaru's eyes, looking instead down at the smudges on Hikaru's shirt, thinking about where those smudges led. "I am just … feeling my way through this, I guess. This new level of honesty between us." He met Hikaru's eyes again. "You are really not bothered?"

Hikaru shrugged. "We all look from time to time, we all get interested in other people, and sometimes those feelings get a little stronger than perhaps they should. It's normal and I'm not going to fault you for it."

"Have you felt this way about anybody else recently?"

Hikaru shook his head. "No, not recently."

"What about Suki?"

Hikaru smiled. "She's a plant, Pavel."

"Yes, but you have feelings for her that aren't … exactly … um …"

"Normal?"

Pavel looked at him sheepishly.

"She's just a plant. I can't have the same feelings for her that I can for a human being. She's not a threat to you."

"I know," Pavel said with a frown. "I am not worried, I am just curious."

"Okay. So, you wanna talk about Scotty?"

Pavel nodded. "Yes. If you do."

Hikaru nodded too. They left the bathroom and went to sit and have a long talk.

 

  
**Popping the Question**   


Pavel was weird for the next few days. Not all the time; much of the time, he was fine, his normal, talkative, energetic self. But there were times when he'd go quiet, and not his usual kind of quiet, when Hikaru knew there were thoughts too complex for him to share scrolling through his mind. It was more like the kind of silence that makes a guy nervous, when he knows his partner is thinking things that will result in unpleasant conversations later on. Hikaru wished Pavel would just come out with it already, whatever it was, but when Hikaru asked him what was on his mind, Pavel would simply give Hikaru a tight smile, say he was fine, and then go back to staring off at nothing.

They decided Hikaru would handle the conversation with Scotty since his relationship with Scotty was more social than Pavel's. So, he went and found Scotty in his office one night. Scotty's office was cluttered, lived in. Stray bolts were scattered across his desk, along with various PADDs, isolinear chips, a pewter tankard half-filled with something that was far too transparent to be coffee. The walls had blueprints tacked to them. There were three sets of boots sitting in a corner, all of them charred or otherwise rendered unwearable, a black welder's apron hung on a hook by the door, and in another corner, in a cage, a tribble purred in a calm, steady way that told Hikaru it was sleeping.

Scotty was seated at his desk. He was wearing a strange pair of goggles with a light attached to them and he was hunched over, peering at a chip. He looked up after Hikaru had entered and gave Hikaru a face full of unbearably bright, bluish-white light.

"Oh, shit," Scotty said, reaching up and shutting the light off. Hikaru was finally able to look directly at him and saw that the goggles' lenses magnified Scotty's eyes to comical proportions. "Sorry about that. Always manage to do that to someone when I put these things on."

"It's alright. Am I interrupting?"

"Nah, have a seat." Scotty pushed the goggles up onto his head. Hikaru took the seat opposite him. "Can I get you a drink?"

"No, thanks. I just stopped by to ask you something."

"Oh?" Scotty frowned and sat back. "Everything alright? I mean, with you and your boy."

"Yeah, we're fine. We've been talking about you, actually."

"Oh." Scotty smiled. "That can't be good, can it?"

"No, it's good. I think. Uh, permission to speak freely, sir?"

Scotty cocked his head. "Aye, go ahead."

Hikaru cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "We both like you, and you seem to like us, and we all get along well. You and Pavel have so much in common and you and I seem to be fairly close."

Scotty nodded, smiling warmly at Hikaru. "Agreed. I consider you a good friend."

"Well, hold that thought, 'cause you might change your mind after I say this. We – Pavel and I – were thinking maybe … if you'd like to join us one evening …"

Scotty's expression relaxed for a moment as he quietly worked out what Hikaru was saying. Then his face broke out into a big grin. He chuckled as he reached up to rub his chin. "I see."

"If the answer's no, we completely understand and we hope this won't affect our friendship or working relationship with you in any way. The last thing I'd wanna do is –"

"Hikaru, stop," Scotty said, still smiling as he leaned forward, against the desk. He opened his mouth to speak, then lowered his face and just giggled a little to himself. "And here I thought today was gonna be boring."

"This is weird, right? I shouldn't have said anything. You know, you can just forget I even came in here. You didn't see me –"

"Hikaru, stop it, just take a breath, lad."

Hikaru did just that, inhaling deeply and trying to calm himself. He'd just propositioned his superior. Not just his superior, but the ship's second officer. What the hell had he been thinking? He took several more breaths and tried to meet Scotty's eyes without looking like a frightened rabbit.

"I am fully aware of the fact that we are not equals," Hikaru said, "that you are a high-ranking officer and that I am probably breaking a million regulations just by suggesting … what I just suggested. Maybe our friendship is messing with my head, making me more comfortable than I should be –"

"I'd love to be with you," Scotty interrupted.

Hikaru stared at him, frozen, his mouth left hanging open.

"Hikaru?" Scotty said. "Your turn to talk, I think."

Hikaru took a slow breath and said, "Are you sure you understood the question? I didn't really get the whole thing out –"

Scotty laughed as he sat back and finally took the goggles off his head. He smoothed down his hair and regarded Hikaru with a warm twinkle in his eye. "I understood the question. Did _you_?"

Hikaru sat up a bit straighter, chuckling nervously. "Yeah. Just making sure we're on the same page here."

"We are." Scotty picked up his tankard and brought it to his mouth. "Have you and Pavel had a talk about all this, then?" he asked before taking a sip.

"Yeah, we have. We discussed some rules and things, and, uh … we wanna do … everything with you."

Scotty's eyebrows went up. "Everything?"

Hikaru nodded. "Yup. The whole nine yards."

Scotty smirked. "Oh, well, wait just a minute now. Not sure I can live up to a whole nine yards."

Hikaru laughed, and he was so grateful to have something to truly laugh about, he could have kissed Scotty right then. His entire body relaxed, all his nervous energy burning off through his giggles.

"There you go," Scotty said. "Nice to get a laugh out've you. You looked a bit pale for a while there. Feel better?"

Hikaru looked at him again and found Scotty watching him with his soft, warm gaze. He could see why Pavel liked him so much if these were the kinds of looks he got every time they worked alone together.

"Yeah, actually," Hikaru said. "Thanks, man."

Scotty nodded. He regarded the items on his desk as he took a breath to speak again. "You've really thought about this? You've really worked everything out? It's not as easy as just hopping into bed with each other, you know. We work together."

"I know."

"You really think you can watch me have sex with your boyfriend, then?"

Hikaru swallowed, his belly flooding with nerves again just thinking about it. "Yeah. I can do that. I … I want to. I think it'd be hot to watch."

Scotty nodded.

"Have you ever done anything like this?" Hikaru asked.

"Heh," Scotty chuckled. "Might've done. Once or twice."

Hikaru smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Twice?"

"Maybe. It was, er … not ideal, but mostly fun."

Hikaru cocked his head. "What made it not ideal?"

"Oh, I dunno. I think the reality can never really live up to what's in your head, you know? Things don't always … flow the way you think they should. Limbs get tangled, this one's on that one's hair, that one's giving out instructions that sound more like we're putting together a shelving unit than having it off. Details; devil's always in 'em. Not that it can't be good, mind. Everyone just has to relax a bit, go with it."

"How old were you when you did it the first time?"

Scotty glanced up at the ceiling as he remembered. "Sixteen," he said wistfully.

"Seriously? Damn, I'm way behind."

Scotty chuckled. "You get to where you're going when you're s'posed to. It's not a race."

Hikaru nodded, marveling a little at how calm and cool Scotty was about this whole thing. There was so much Hikaru didn't know about him, so much he wanted to ask. There were years of experiences in those eyes.

"So, when are you free?" Hikaru finally asked.

They decided on a date and time, discussed details about dinner and then stood.

"So … I have no idea how to end this conversation," Hikaru said.

Scotty laughed as he came around to Hikaru's side of the desk and stood before him. "How about, 'I'll see you later'?"

"Right. Uh … I'll see you later."

Scotty gave him a smile and a wink. "Later, then," he replied.

Hikaru wondered if it would be pushing it to lean forward and kiss him. He lingered there for a moment, thinking about it, then finally decided against it; Pavel wasn't there to sign off on it, after all, and besides they were both still on duty. He finally turned and stepped away, glancing over his shoulder to give Scotty an awkward wave as he headed for the door. Unfortunately, he ended up walking right into the door when it refused to open for him. He bounced off it and looked at it with annoyance.

"Ah, that sticks sometimes, been meaning to fix it," Scotty said, hurrying over and giving the door a thump with his fist. It obediently slid open and Scotty smiled up at Hikaru and patted his back. "There you go. Sorry about that."

Hikaru sighed, but gave Scotty a smile. "This whole thing went so much more smoothly in my head," he said as he exited.

"Aye, that's usually the way of these things," Scotty called after him. "I reckon that's how you know you've done it right."

 

  
**Threesome the Second**   


It wasn't as if Scotty didn't have self-control. There were plenty of pretty, young things wandering about, plenty of _brilliant_ , pretty, young things, and a few of them had shown more than a little interest in moments when their professionalism slipped a bit. But he hadn't indulged. Not once. He was the consummate professional. Okay, he could be a little cuddly, but that was just his nature, that wasn't about sex.

But then there was Chekov. Or Pavel. Scotty supposed, as he shaved the five o'clock shadow from his jaw, that if he was getting himself all pretty for a threesome with the lad, it might be okay to call him by his first name. Pavel was different. Brilliant, of course, but also oblivious. His complete inability to tell when someone was flirting with him was not only comical, but kind of adorable. He was so focused on details that sometimes picking up social cues simply didn't factor in. Scotty wondered how Hikaru had managed to clue the boy in to his interest. He'd probably had to just come right out and say it.

Scotty also wondered why he was only just finding out about their relationship. He and Hikaru were mates. All those times they'd had a drink together or talked over lunch, Hikaru had never once mentioned he was seeing anyone. Not that it was any of Scotty's business, of course, but he couldn't help but be just a wee bit hurt.

Well, he'd get over it. He just wished he hadn't found out about the relationship by getting caught making eyes at Hikaru's boyfriend. He frowned at that as he dried his face. He was still embarrassed about that.

But later that evening when Hikaru answered the door for him and smiled a radiant smile that was at once friendly and a little intimate, Scotty forgot to be remorseful about his mistake. He forgot to glance around to check who might be watching him enter the quarters of his subordinates. He forgot to straighten his shirt or fuss with his hair for the hundredth time. He forgot everything. As Hikaru moved aside to admit him, he was pulled into the room as if they were connected by a tether. Hikaru leaned in to kiss him hello before the door had even fully closed. Thankfully the door was closed by the time their lips met. Or at least Scotty thought it was.

They'd never kissed before. Perhaps the thought had crossed Scotty's mind on occasion; Hikaru was an attractive fellow, after all. But the attraction hadn't ever distracted Scotty, consumed his mind, made him ache, and he suspected it was the same for Hikaru. Theirs was a soft, gentle simmer of an attraction, the kind that often vibrated quietly between good friends, unacknowledged and not terribly difficult to ignore, the kind that made you want to be near each other, the kind that you felt most when you were drunk or when your mate was being particularly clever or charming. Hikaru took Scotty's hands in his and Scotty thought about those hands guiding his _Enterprise_ through the stars, steering her safe and sound with a skilled, intuitive touch. Anyone who knew him knew that that kind of thing really did it for him. He squeezed Hikaru's hands and felt his groin tug at him a little.

Pilots are hot. Full stop. They could be a little cocky, though, a little too sure of themselves, but Hikaru wasn't like that. He was confident, but mellow, and even now, as he clearly took control of the situation, Scotty felt comfortable submitting. Hikaru was quite a bit younger than Scotty, but that was okay because of the maturity that radiated from him, because Scotty admired the lad, plain and simple.

It was that sort of mostly platonic admiration that made them such good friends, but that could also very easily translate into incredibly sweet, hot sex. Hikaru's kiss was tender, loving. It was the kind of kiss that Scotty wouldn't have believed the two of them could share, and yet now that it was happening, it made perfect sense. Scotty was in Hikaru's arms by the time the kiss ended, their bodies pressed snugly against one another, Hikaru's erection evident against Scotty's thigh, and vice versa. They looked at each other, and it wasn't awkward or weird. They gave each other soft smiles and rested there in each other's arms, in no particular hurry to let go. This was what their relationship was, Scotty thought. It was easy and warm and a little bit sexy. It was best mates with benefits. A slow, steady burn.

"I guess one of us should say hello already," Hikaru said.

"Hullo there," Scotty murmured.

Hikaru grinned at him. "Hi. Pavel's psyching himself up in the other room. Should be out in a minute. I know you're eager to see him."

"In case you hadn't picked up on it, I'm pretty eager to see you too." Scotty pushed against Hikaru's thigh a little. Hikaru made a low, soft noise in the back of his throat.

"I did notice that," he whispered. "I just didn't wanna be presumptuous."

"Presume all you like. I doubt you'll be wrong."

They were about to kiss again when the bedroom door opened and there stood Pavel. Scotty and Hikaru released each other and Hikaru motioned Pavel over. Pavel looked nervous as he approached, but he always kind of did. He was always a little jumpy, filled with excited energy, with an eagerness in his eyes that suggested he was ready for anything. He was no different now, as he stepped up and took his place at Hikaru's side. He eyed Scotty in the same way he'd look at readouts in a simulation he and Scotty might run in Engineering; he was going through all possible outcomes in his head, playing out scenarios, working out kinks, trying to anticipate human action with equations and algorithms. Not a completely faulty way to go, but not perfect either. Well, he was young. He'd learn. Besides, Scotty couldn't help but be drawn to Pavel's computer-like brain.

And then Pavel smiled at him, and Scotty quickly remembered all the other things about Pavel that he was drawn to. He may have been a man of science, but he could certainly appreciate the more superficial aspects of Pavel's beauty.

"You two can say hello to each other, you know," Hikaru said, nudging Pavel toward Scotty. Pavel stumbled forward a little and then gulped as he closed the gap.

"Hello, Mister Scott," he said.

"Hullo," Scotty replied. He glanced at Hikaru once, just to check, make sure everything was still okay. Hikaru gave him a nod, the look on his face calm and relaxed, even a little anticipatory. He wanted to see this, see how Pavel looked with another man.

Scotty turned back to Pavel, reached out and took Pavel by his waist. He heard Pavel's breath catch, felt him tense a little as he was pulled close. Pavel looked down at the hands on his body, then back up into Scotty's eyes. His pupils dilated a bit, his mouth hung just slightly open. He was thinking, recalculating, working out what should happen next. His internal computer never stopped.

Scotty smiled. "Do you never switch off?"

Pavel cocked his head. "Switch off?"

"He's asking if you ever just relax," Hikaru said helpfully. "And the answer is no." He stepped close and touched Pavel's back, murmured to him, "Still want this?"

Pavel nodded, holding Scotty's gaze. "Yes," he replied, the word hardly more than a breath. Scotty believed him. He wasn't having second thoughts, he was simply nervous and unsure how to proceed. Scotty decided to help him out a bit. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Pavel's mouth. Not too much, no tongue yet, just enough to get the ball rolling. Pavel's breathing stopped altogether and he froze for a moment. Then Scotty pulled him closer, right up against himself, made his erection evident to Pavel. He heard Pavel's breathing start up again, heard it stutter a little, and then he felt Pavel's hands on him, sliding up onto his shoulders and then arms around his neck. He felt Pavel's body relax. He felt Pavel's tongue slip out to glide experimentally across his lips. Scotty let that tongue in.

Scotty vaguely remembered someone saying something about dinner when he and Hikaru had made this date, but fuck it. That was the furthest thing from his mind as Pavel's mouth opened wide for him and Pavel emitted the most delicious moan as the kiss deepened.

They were pulling him into the bedroom next and Scotty found himself sandwiched between two burning hot bodies. Hikaru was in back, the bulge in his pants pressed to Scotty's ass as Hikaru sucked at his neck. Pavel was in front, in Scotty's arms, exploring Scotty's mouth and trying to get Scotty's shirt off. Hikaru helped him, finally slipping Scotty's shirt down his arms, then Scotty felt strong hands massaging his bare shoulders from behind while curious fingers skirted the edge of Scotty's waistband, touching his bare stomach and waist and the small of his back.

Scotty pulled his arms from his sleeves and let the shirt fall, his hands then going right back to Pavel's body to hold him close. Pavel kissed with too much tongue, and that was okay. There was a certain level of arousal that when reached made too much tongue just the right amount of tongue. Besides, Scotty wanted to taste every inch of this boy. He'd lick his tonsils if he could. The kiss became wet and sloppy.

Hikaru's hands slipped down, around to the front, and were fiddling with the fastenings of Scotty's pants. Hikaru's lips brushed his ear and Hikaru whispered, "Is that okay?" Meanwhile, his fingers got Scotty's pants undone before Scotty could even get his mouth away from Pavel to reply. Hikaru slipped a hand down inside his underwear and began feeling him up. "You don't mind that, do you?" Hikaru whispered. Ah. Rhetorical questions. No, Scotty most definitely did not mind.

Pavel finally stopped kissing to look down at what Hikaru was doing. Scotty watched his face as Hikaru then exposed him, pushing his clothes down a bit and releasing his cock.

"You okay, baby?" Hikaru murmured, his free hand finding one of Pavel's hands on Scotty's body and taking hold of it. Pavel nodded. "Wanna touch?"

Pavel looked up and past Scotty's head to Hikaru's face. Fuck, he looked terribly young in that moment, all big eyes and uncertainty. But he nodded again and looked down as Hikaru brought his hand down to grip Scotty's length. Scotty's and Pavel's eyes met and held as Pavel's fingers explored. He had that same uncertain, searching look in his eyes. Scotty reached up to cup his face.

"Is that weird for you," Scotty murmured, "touching my cock like that?" He leaned in and kissed Pavel's mouth and felt Pavel's fingers ventured further down to feel his balls.

"A little," Pavel admitted between kisses. "But it is something I have thought about a lot."

Scotty smiled. "Can't say I'm not happy to hear that. Been thinking about you too."

"Tell him what you've been thinking," Hikaru whispered in his ear. He then nibbled on that ear while Scotty contemplated his answer.

Scotty took a breath, his belly flooding with nerves at the thought of admitting to all his dirty fantasies about Pavel. He dropped his hands down and slipped them up underneath Pavel's shirt to touch his bare skin, the smoothness and heat of it making his head swim a bit. "Been thinking about touching you like this for a while now," he admitted, looking into Pavel's eyes. "You don't know how many times I've thought about putting my hands on you while we worked together."

Pavel gulped and took a deep breath, let it out slowly. His eyes were dark with desire, his expression a little expectant. He seemed to want to hear more, but then he glanced uncertainly at Hikaru.

"Pavel," Hikaru said, "it's okay. Really. Relax, baby, just go with it if you want to."

That was the problem. Pavel was having trouble with the idea that letting himself enjoy this was okay. But he was trying; he looked at Scotty again and leaned in for more kisses. Scotty's cock jerked in Pavel's hand and he gladly obliged, giving Pavel his tongue again, letting him lick and suck and kiss as sloppily as he liked.

"Tell me more," Pavel whispered when their lips parted.

"You know, I can't keep my eyes off you sometimes," Scotty told him. "Sometimes I even get a wee bit hard, right there in Engineering with you. And I think about coming up behind you, pressing against you and letting you feel it." His heart was pounding a little harder now as he recounted the things he'd been thinking. "I think about coming up behind you, reaching around and touching you." He leaned in and nuzzled Pavel's cheek as he spoke. "I open up your trousers and take your cock out, and we just keep right on working together while I play with you. I look over your shoulder and use my free hand on the console while my other one makes you feel so good. And we just keep talking about work, like nothing's different, except that your voice is getting softer and you're breathing faster and shakier and you're rubbing your arse against my crotch, and then I make you come all over the console. You're shaking in my arms and I whisper in your ear … 'Good job, Ensign. That's a good lad.'"

Pavel shuddered in Scotty's arms and his gaze was intense, locked with Scotty's eyes. He almost looked a little shocked at what he'd just heard, but his eyes were dark with lust. Scotty felt Hikaru squeeze him and bite down on his shoulder with a groan, his cock still rock-hard against Scotty's ass. Then Pavel let go of Scotty, and when Scotty looked down he found Pavel frantically unfastening his pants. Seconds later, Pavel was pulling out his very hard dick. His long fingers gave it a few strokes, and then he closed the gap between them, pressing their dicks together. Scotty moved his hands around to grip Pavel's backside, holding on as they rubbed together.

Then Hikaru pulled away, stepped into Scotty's view and pulled his shirt off in one easy motion, revealing his beautifully toned, golden upper body. Scotty watched as Hikaru then began getting out of his pants. Pavel reached out to caress his boyfriend's firm belly and his hand moved down further as more of Hikaru was revealed, finally coming to rest on his cock as Hikaru stepped out of his pants and his underwear.

Hikaru stepped close, then, and kissed Scotty hard as he pushed Scotty's pants down too, both he and Pavel helping Scotty out of his remaining clothes before nudging him back and down onto the bed.

 

  
**I Can Do That**   


Mister Scott was an eager bottom, which Pavel found surprising for some reason. Mister Scott had happily gotten on his knees and stuck his ass in the air so Hikaru could play with him back there, stretch him out and get him ready. In fact, Mister Scott seemed to like that very much; he'd moaned and groaned and cursed as Hikaru's fingers and tongue pushed into him. But then Pavel had laid down before him and given him something to do with his mouth, and Mister Scott's noises had become muffled with Pavel's cock shoved down his throat.

At that point, Mister Scott's focus had become making Pavel feel incredible. Well, at first he'd been greedy and hungry, taking Pavel in and sucking hard and fast, but then he'd slowed, taking his time, seeming to savor every second, his goal seeming to be to memorize every curve and vein of Pavel's cock using only his lips and tongue. It had been agonizing, the way he'd sucked hard as he'd slowly pulled his mouth up Pavel's shaft, the way he'd suckled at the head like it was a piece of hard candy, his tongue laving across the slit and making Pavel shudder. And he'd looked so sexy when he'd extended his tongue, closed his eyes and licked all the way up from base to tip and then let his tongue's tip dance across the slit, tasting the clear liquid that constantly oozed from it.

Finally, Pavel had had to nudge Mister Scott's head away. He hadn't wanted to come yet, wanted to prove he could wait, and now he was throbbing hard as he lay at Hikaru's side, playing with himself and watching Mister Scott ride Hikaru. Mister Scott's hips rocked back and forth, up and down, his cock flushed deepest pink. It was so hard, the head was full and shiny and leaking onto Hikaru's belly. Pavel liked Mister Scott's cock. Hikaru was quite long, while Mister Scott was thick. Pavel rubbed himself a little faster at the thought of having it inside him.

Hikaru held Mister Scott by his waist and began pumping up into him hard and fast. Mister Scott's face contorted in pleasure as he dropped his head back and just held on for the ride, his big hands gripping Hikaru's arms, his cock bouncing rather merrily. Pavel watched it and thought about having it shoved down his throat.

"Wanna hop up there and join him?" Hikaru suddenly asked. Pavel looked at him and found Hikaru watching him with dark, sleepy eyes. Pavel did want that. He sat up, got up on his knees and moved closer to Mister Scott. He was still hesitant, even now, even after Mister Scott had watched Hikaru fuck him and had even tasted his dick. Pavel's tentative hand touched Mister Scott's thigh, getting his attention. Mister Scott opened his eyes and looked down at Pavel with a dazed smile. One of his hands reached up to pet Pavel's hair and caress his face.

"Hello there, gorgeous," he said, his voice low and husky. His hips were rocking again, slow and steady now as his attention focused on Pavel. He licked his lips and then leaned in to kiss Pavel. Pavel tilted his face up for him and felt his cock twitch as Mister Scott's tongue licked inside his mouth.

"Would you like a turn?" Mister Scott murmured.

"Yes," Pavel replied. Mister Scott stopped riding and slipped an arm around Pavel's waist to help him mount. Pavel climbed on up, straddling Hikaru in front of Mister Scott. They got their leg positions sorted out and then Mister Scott shifted behind Pavel, pulling Hikaru out of himself and shimmying back a little.

Pavel slid back too and leaned forward. He locked eyes with Hikaru as Mister Scott helped slide Hikaru into Pavel's hole, which was still stretched and slippery from earlier. Pavel felt Hikaru's hands on his body, feeling his thighs and his ass as Pavel carefully pushed down onto Hikaru's length. They maintained eye contact as Pavel filled himself up, and when Hikaru was completely sheathed inside him, Pavel sat up straight and settled back into Mister Scott's arms. He rolled his hips, feeling Hikaru slide around inside him, and groaned as Hikaru pushed up into him and as Mister Scott's hand slid down between his legs to fondle his cock while his lips caressed Pavel's neck.

They found an easy, steady rhythm, Pavel riding a little while Hikaru pumped his hips in time with him. Pavel could feel Mister Scott's prick rubbing against his ass and he rocked back against him more firmly, providing as much friction for him as possible. Mister Scott was big and warm, wrapped lovingly around Pavel's body, cradling him, his mouth a constant presence on Pavel's neck, hands constantly playing with his dick. Meanwhile Hikaru was strong, comforting underneath him, familiar, a constant source of reassurance. Pavel could have gotten lost in this, just lay back against Mister Scott's solid body and let these two men use him, but his hesitance returned, even now, even while he was full of cock and being lovingly molested.

He locked eyes with Hikaru, again looking for reassurance.

"What's the matter, baby?" Hikaru whispered, though it was clear he already knew. He didn't wait for a response. He stopped pushing into Pavel and asked, "Do you want it?"

Pavel nodded. He wanted it very much and part of him felt terribly guilty about that, wanting another man this badly.

"Then relax," Hikaru cooed, petting Pavel's skin. "Let go. Look, I've got you. See?" Hikaru held his hands up and Pavel placed his hands in them. "I trust you, Pavel. I trust you and I love you and I want to watch you enjoy this."

Pavel gulped, trying to get rid of the lump that was rising in his throat. His emotion must have been showing in his eyes, because Hikaru gave him a soft, loving smile and squeezed his hands as if to say, _Yes, this is real. We can really have this together._

"I love you too," Pavel whispered. He pulled away from Mister Scott for a moment, suddenly needing to be closer to Hikaru. He lowered his body to Hikaru's and kissed him hard, cupping his face and whimpering into his mouth, needing him so badly that he knew Hikaru could feel it. Hikaru's hand cupped the back of Pavel's head and held him there while he kissed Pavel back roughly. That was what Pavel needed, that hard, possessiveness that told him he belonged to this man and this man alone, that it was okay to indulge because Hikaru knew that Pavel was his. It was all okay. What they had was stronger than anything. Nothing could break this.

The kiss broke and their eyes lingered on each other as Pavel pulled slowly away and sat back up. He then twisted around to look at Mister Scott who smiled lazily at him and put his wonderfully big hands back on Pavel's body.

"You alright, gorgeous?" Scotty murmured, his hand going back down to play with Pavel's cock. "Think you can enjoy this?"

Pavel nodded, dazed eyes darted from point to point on Mister Scott's face as he moved in closer. "Da," he whispered, his breath wafting across Mister Scott's mouth. "I can do that." And he brought a hand up to caress Mister Scott's cheek as their lips came together.

Hikaru and Mister Scott began moving again, fucking Pavel and grinding against him. Pavel opened wide, let Mister Scott's tongue in deep while Hikaru pumped into him hard, making their skin slap loudly, making Pavel grunt into Mister Scott's mouth. Then the kiss broke and Pavel dropped his head back, closed his eyes and let them have him, hands all over his body, cocks begging for friction. Then Hikaru withdrew and Pavel knew it was Mister Scott's turn.

They laid Pavel down on Hikaru's body and Pavel felt Mister Scott lean forward as well, hovering over his back. Pavel then felt the head of Mister Scott's prick nudging at his entrance. The difference in shape quickly became apparent. Pavel groaned and squirmed, working to accept Mister Scott's girth. He felt Hikaru's hands petting him.

"That's it," Hikaru whispered. "Just relax and let him in. This is what you wanted, isn't it, baby?"

Mister Scott slid in a little further and Pavel winced and moaned. Mister Scott paused and caressed Pavel's back, being patient, waiting for a signal to tell him it was okay to move again. Pavel gave it to him; he arched his back and let out a hard groan as he pushed back and took Mister Scott all the way in.

"I'd say that's a yes," Mister Scott murmured, answering Hikaru's question. He hooked an arm around Pavel's body and held him snugly against himself as he slowly began to move.

Pavel could feel their breath on him, both of them, warm air against the back and front of his neck. He writhed in between them as Mister Scott fucked him, spreading his legs open as much as he could. Hikaru pushed up against him, rubbing their cocks together and watching the pleasure all over Pavel's face.

"Oh, yeah, that's what my baby likes," Hikaru panted. "How long have you been wanting Scotty's big dick inside you, hm?"

Pavel had no idea. He could barely remember his own name as Mister Scott pounded into him.

They switched again, Mister Scott withdrawing and letting Hikaru back inside, and this time when Pavel sat up straight, Hikaru fucked up into him so hard that Pavel cried out. It seemed to become a kind of contest, Hikaru and Mister Scott competing to see how loudly they could make Pavel scream, switching back and forth, one cock pulling out so the other could slide in for a few minutes, then switching back again. It was relentless and Pavel began to whine as his cock throbbed almost painfully in Mister Scott's hand, desperately needing release as Hikaru slid back up inside him. Mister Scott's low voice was in Pavel's ear as Hikaru finally began filling him with come. Hikaru came hard, Pavel could tell.

Hikaru pulled out and disengaged, sitting up and moving aside. Pavel watched him settle back against the bed's headboard, a hand going to his spent cock to cradle it while he watched. Pavel was nudged forward onto all fours and he felt Mister Scott behind him, sticking fingers inside him, then pulling them out again, and that was when Pavel heard the wet sounds of Mister Scott sucking those fingers.

"Oh, god," Pavel moaned, the very idea of Mister Scott eating Hikaru's spunk out of him making his dick throb even more. He bore down a little, trying to push Hikaru's come closer to his opening so Mister Scott could get at it. Mister Scott went in for more, and Pavel soon felt Mister Scott's tongue pushing into him. Pavel pushed right back, reaching back with a hand to pull his cheeks open more. He spread his knees wide and arched his back, and when he looked into Hikaru's eyes, he saw the beginnings of renewed lust there. Hikaru smiled his gorgeous smile, reached out and touched Pavel's face.

Pavel felt that odd sense of pride again, the same pride in their love that he'd felt before, pride that he could make Hikaru so happy simply by allowing himself to experience pleasure. It was beautiful, and when Mister Scott began to push his dick into Pavel's hole, Pavel held Hikaru's gaze, unashamed and unafraid of letting Hikaru see how much pleasure that cock was giving him. Mister Scott gripped Pavel's hips as he drove into Pavel hard, making Pavel grunt and groan again and again until Hikaru leaned forward and muffled his noises with a full, rough kiss.

They soon switched position, Pavel laying on his back to let Mister Scott fuck him missionary style. Pavel liked being taken like this, being able to kiss Mister Scott and hold him while they fucked. He felt a hand touch his hair and he knew it was Hikaru's. Hikaru scooted closer to sit next to them, took Pavel's hand and held on, murmuring filthy encouragements to him as Mister Scott pumped into him harder, hitting his prostate and making him groan.

"That's my boy," Hikaru said. "He's good, isn't he? He's so thick, almost too thick to fit inside you, isn't that right? You just lie there and take it, baby, just open up and let him have you, let him stretch you out and fill you with come, like the naughty little slut you are."

"Oh, my god," Pavel whimpered, those words turning him on even more, and Mister Scott seemed to like them too, groaning hard in Pavel's ear. The incessant nudging at that sensitive spot inside Pavel brought Pavel to the verge of climax and just left him hanging there, leaving him dazed and desperate. He strained up to meet Mister Scott's powerful thrusts, completely giving in to the moment, and then the pressure that had built up inside him finally began to spill over; the dam broke and Pavel came. His hand slipped away from Hikaru's and both his arms went around Mister Scott, holding on for dear life as his muscles spasmed so hard he thought he might break apart.

"That's it, beautiful," Mister Scott whispered, his voice ragged in Pavel's ear. "Fuck, you incredible creature. Gonna come for you, love, gonna come so fucking hard for you …"

And he did just that, shuddering in Pavel's arms and spilling into his body. Pavel was coming down while Mister Scott's body emptied inside him. He went limp and just lay there taking it, Mister Scott's final thrusts shaking him until they finally stopped.

Mister Scott was panting hard in Pavel's ear as he withdrew and slipped partially off of Pavel's body. They lay there for a while, catching their breath, their sweaty bodies sticking together where Pavel's come was smeared on their skin. Pavel looked up and back at Hikaru, blinked sleepily at him and smiled. "'Karu," he whispered, reaching for him. Hikaru gave him and soft, oddly melancholy smile and gave him his hand back.

"I'm here, baby," he said.

Mister Scott slipped all the way off of Pavel and rolled onto his back. Pavel looked over at him and found him staring at the ceiling, catching his breath, his face blank. Pavel reached for him too, found his hand and grasped it. Mister Scott looked at him and gave him a weak smile.

"Bathroom," Hikaru said as he pulled his hand away and got up. Pavel's eyes followed him until he was gone. Something didn't feel right. Pavel sat up and stared at the bedroom door. Mister Scott sat up too and they looked at each other.

"You feel it too," Mister Scott said, looking worried now.

Pavel nodded, then frowned at him. "And what is wrong with you?"

Scotty frowned right back. "What did I do?"

"What was that look you were giving to the ceiling a moment ago? Something is wrong. What is it?"

Mister Scott sighed and put an arm around him. "I'm fine. I swear. Never better." His free hand came up to caress Pavel's cheek. "How could I not be fine after the thorough screwing you just gave me?"

Pavel smiled uncertainly and then accepted the little kiss Mister Scott offered him. It was gentle and tender, but felt different somehow than their other kisses. Not only was it softer, but there was something else there now. It was heavy with … _something_. And then when Mister Scott pulled back again, there was a look in his eyes, a little bit sad, a little bit longing.

 _Oh._

Pavel looked down. "Mister Scott –"

"You don't have to tell me. I already know you're his. I just hope _he_ still knows that I know that."

Pavel met his eyes again, looking even more worried now.

Mister Scott rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and shook his head. "I shouldn't have come here tonight."

Pavel didn't ask why. He knew why. He'd been incredibly dense, but everything was clear now. He could finally see it. Perhaps letting Mister Scott fuck his brains out had helped clear his head, because now he could see just how much Mister Scott liked him.

"I am sorry," Pavel whispered. Mister Scott looked at him with remorse.

"No, no, no," he said, cupping Pavel's face. "Don't say that, love. It's not your fault."

"But you are hurt."

"It isn't your fault, Pavel. It's really not."

Mister Scott hugged him, then, and Pavel fell against him, trying to offer him a little comfort, because no matter what Mister Scott said, Pavel felt responsible for his obviously broken heart.

The door opened and Hikaru stepped back inside. Pavel and Mister Scott looked up at him and found him standing in the doorway, watching them blankly. Pavel's stomach dropped. He suddenly felt terribly guilty for simply being in Mister Scott's arms. Hikaru wasn't too pleased about it, either; he glanced away and smiled bitterly, shaking his head.

"I'll just be a minute," he muttered, stepping in and bending to pick up his clothes.

"Hikaru," Pavel began, pulling away from Mister Scott, but Mister Scott cut him off.

"Hikaru, wait a second."

"Nah, it's cool. I'll get outta your hair." At that, Hikaru spun around, his clothes in his arms, and left the room. Pavel sat there staring at the closed door in shock. What the hell had just happened?

"I'll go talk to him," Mister Scott said, getting up and starting to get dressed.

Pavel scrambled off the bed too. "No, I should talk to him," he said as he pulled on his underwear.

Mister Scott shook his head. "No, you stay."

"No, it has to be me. He is angry with me, he thinks that I –"

"Pavel," Mister Scott interrupted, his voice low and commanding. Pavel shut his mouth, stood there with his pants in his hands, staring at him. Mister Scott already had his pants on; they sat on his hips, still unfastened. His brow was furrowed, but his expression softened as he stared at Pavel. "I can straighten this out," he insisted, his voice softer now too. "This isn't your fault and if he's got any sense in his head, he'll realize that. It's not you he's angry with. It's me. You go out there now, getting all defensive, it'll just make you look guilty, and besides, I can't have you sticking up for me when I'm the one who fucked up. I should've said no to this, I should've realized that I … that I felt too bloody much for you."

Pavel said nothing. His shoulders slumped as Mister Scott continued to dress. There was complete silence in the room but for the soft sounds of fabric on skin, then finally Mister Scott had gotten his shoes back on and he stepped toward Pavel and took his hands.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for a wonderful evening."

Pavel pouted at him. "Are we still friends?"

Mister Scott nodded and smiled, though his smile was still sad. "Yeah, 'course we are. How could I not be your friend? You're brilliant. You keep me on my toes." He let Pavel's left hand go and cupped one side of Pavel's face. "You're special, Pavel," he murmured. "Don't you forget that." And then he leaned in and kissed Pavel's mouth. Pavel allowed this, but now it felt wrong. Like cheating. Pavel imagined Hikaru walking back in now and catching them, and he had to pull away. He reached up and gently took Mister Scott's hand from his face. He couldn't look Mister Scott in the eye now, afraid of what he might see there. He looked at the floor and shook his head.

"I am sorry," he repeated. "I am so sorry."

He felt Mister Scott squeeze his hands and then release them. He didn't look up until Mister Scott had turned his back and was exiting the room.

 

  
**The Fallout**   


Hikaru heard someone come out of the room. Just one set of footsteps. He waited to hear a second set. They didn't come and his heart sank. He continued to stare straight ahead, not daring to twist around and meet the eyes he knew were watching him. He remained seated on the sofa, motionless, thankful that he'd managed to get all his clothes back on before Scotty had emerged.

"You can't be angry with him," said Scotty as he approached the back of the sofa.

Hikaru clenched his jaw and said nothing.

"He didn't do anything. He was enjoying the moment, just like you wanted him to, nothing more. What you saw, what I know you saw, that was all me."

"Maybe it was both of you," Hikaru said. "Ever consider that?"

"It wasn't. I was fucking him, remember? If he'd felt it too, I'd have noticed, I'd have felt it in him. But he didn't feel it. He loves me as a friend, nothing more."

When Hikaru remained silent, Scotty came around and sat next to him. Hikaru turned his face away, unwilling to let Scotty see any emotion that might be written on it.

"I'm sorry," Scotty said. "I didn't plan this. I thought I could handle it, I thought I could just do this and keep right on being his friend without any consequences. I should've known better."

"Why didn't you tell me you were in love with him?" Hikaru asked.

"I'm not."

Hikaru turned to glare at him now. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Hikaru –"

"No, dude, you didn't see what I saw in there. In your eyes while you fucked my boyfriend, I fucking saw it, man. Don't sit there and insult me, don't tell me I don't know what love looks like when I just saw it in there not ten minutes ago _fucking my boyfriend_!"

"Keep your voice down, he'll hear you," Scotty said, frowning at him and looking hurt at the same time. "He feels bad enough as it is, and don't you dare say that he deserves to, because he doesn't. He didn't do this. It's me, I'm the one who wasn't honest."

"So, you're admitting it, then? You're admitting you're in love with him?"

Scotty took a breath and exhaled heavily. He lowered his gaze, hesitated, and then nodded. Hikaru clenched his jaw and looked away again. "Jesus fucking Christ," he muttered.

"Denial is a right powerful thing, Hikaru," Scotty quietly said.

"Yeah, so's a prostate orgasm, which he seemed to achieve quite easily with you."

"Oi!" Scotty snapped. Hikaru looked at him and found Scotty glaring back. "Back off, mate, you're crossing a line."

"Excuse me? You're telling me to back off after what I saw –"

"Not off me, off him. I'm the one who deserves your anger. He didn't do anything except exactly what you told him to do. He let go and enjoyed himself, and now you're persecuting him for it."

Hikaru's shoulders slumped. Scotty had a point. Still, it was rather difficult to ignore just how much Pavel had enjoyed himself. Pavel _had_ done exactly as Hikaru had asked, but maybe Hikaru had hoped he wouldn't. As much as Hikaru had wanted to watch Pavel having naughty sex with another man, there was a part of him that had wanted Pavel to realize that he didn't really want that, and Hikaru hadn't realized how powerful that part of him was until the moment when Scotty had fucked an orgasm out of Pavel while focusing all his love right on Pavel's eyes.

No, it was before that. It was the moment Pavel had let go of his hand. Hikaru ached inside just thinking about it.

"It was like you _wanted_ him to see it," he said, crossing his arms, all his rage giving way to pure hurt. "It was like you were showing him exactly how you felt on purpose."

Scotty shook his head. "It wasn't on purpose. It's sex, Hikaru, it's uncontrolled, it's intense, it makes you do and say mad things, I … I couldn't hold back. I looked into his eyes while he came and I couldn't hide it. So that's the deal breaker, then, is it? The fact that I love him? If there was no emotion on my part, would we still be in there right now?"

Hikaru looked away again. "I don't know," he said quietly. He reached up and pinched his temples between his thumb and middle finger. "I really have no idea. Maybe … maybe I wasn't entirely honest, either. I thought I could handle this too, but I guess that's bullshit."

"Why did you want him to enjoy it so badly? There were plenty of opportunities to back out, Pavel only relaxed because you kept urging him to. Because he trusted you."

Hikaru winced. "I know, I know, I just …" He sighed and covered his face for a moment. "I guess I thought it was safe as long as …"

"Long as you were controlling it all," Scotty offered without malice. Hikaru glanced sheepishly at him. Scotty's eyes were filled with sympathy. "And then near the end there things got a bit too uncontrolled for your liking."

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "I'm not usually like this, man. I'm not a control freak, I'm not uptight –"

"Oh, of course you are."

"No, I'm not, seriously –"

"Hikaru, listen. You're brilliant. A genius. Anyone this smart is bound to be at least a wee bit of a control freak. I seem laid back, but if I wasn't controlling, nothing would get done. I wouldn't be where I am. It's in our DNA, lad. In our IQs. We can't help it."

Hikaru sighed. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Pavel's fantasy was perfectly harmless as long as Hikaru was part of it, there to watch over it and make sure it didn't get out of hand. Hikaru shook his head at himself, disappointed in his own behavior and in the fact that he'd been too stupid to see what he'd been doing. "So, what now?" he asked. "I mean, am I gonna be able to trust you alone with him? Now that the floodgates are open, how can you go back? How can you hide it now?"

Scotty shrugged. "I won't be alone with him for a while. Simple as that."

"You can do that?"

Scotty nodded, his regretful gaze finding Hikaru's eyes again. "No real reason for us to be alone together. Besides, I don't think he'll want to be alone with me now. Because now he knows. He's seen it. Poor lad feels like shit about it too."

"Why?"

"Because he thinks it's his fault. He thinks he led me on or some damn thing. I tried to tell him that wasn't the case, but I don't think he believed me."

Hikaru sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Shit."

"Hikaru, listen. I know you're hurt right now, but he's not the one who hurt you. He needs you now, he needs to be reassured. The poor thing's beating himself up in there –"

"Don't tell me how to love him," Hikaru snapped. He wanted to reassure Scotty that his anger with Pavel was subsiding, but at the same time, it was really none of Scotty's business, and how dare he tell Hikaru how to handle any of this?

Hikaru rolled his eyes at himself. He was beginning to feel like a total prick, a petulant child. He didn't want to be angry with Scotty, and truth be told he was simply starting to feel sorry for him. He looked at Scotty again, not bothering to hide how tired he suddenly felt. "Pavel and I will be fine," he said. "Don't worry about us. And don't worry about him, I'm not gonna blame him. You're right, that wasn't his fault. And it was only partially yours."

"Hikaru, don't do that –"

"No, I can take responsibility for my part. I should've seen how much you liked him. Maybe I did, maybe I just didn't wanna believe that you were falling in love with him because it got in the way of what I wanted."

"Which was what?"

Hikaru shrugged, a little sheepish now. "Besides controlling the entire situation … I wanted to be with you. And I wanted you to be with him, I wanted him to have his fantasy because it proved just how much he belonged to me, that we could do that and still be solid, you know?" He shook his head. "I wanted us to be able to go there and still come back to each other, but … I guess we're not there yet."

"You don't have to be there. That's not something you have to be able to do in order to prove you love each other." Scotty frowned. "It's a bit mad when you think about it, isn't it?"

Hikaru was smiling before he could stop himself. He stifled a laugh. "Yeah, it kind of is. I don't know, it felt good at the time."

Scotty grinned too. "That should've been your first clue."

Hikaru had to laugh now, he couldn't stop it. He let it out, and it felt damn good. He heard Scotty chuckling as well and felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He looked at Scotty, then, as their giggles subsided.

"I'm sorry," Hikaru said. "I was selfish. Even if I didn't see that you were in love, I saw how much you liked him. I knew in the back of my mind that someone was gonna get hurt. I knew it and I let it happen anyway, and I'm so sorry for that."

Scotty cocked his head. "How old are you again?"

"Twenty-three."

"Bloody hell," Scotty chuckled, blushing and rubbing at his jaw. "A threesome with a twenty-something and a teenager, and here I am whining and moaning about it. I'm a right git, aren't I? Most blokes would just shut up and count their blessings."

Hikaru laughed again. "Stop it, you've got feelings like everyone else."

Scotty sobered and shook his head. "Nah, that's not what I wanted to say." He turned his body toward Hikaru, reached out and took Hikaru's hand. "Listen to me. I know you're gonna hate me saying this to you, but I'd be remiss if I didn't. I'm thirty-bloody-seven years old. I'm fourteen years older than you and I'm old enough to be that one's father." He jerked his head at the bedroom door as he said this. "The two of you beating yourselves up over what happened here tonight is rubbish. No matter what the law says about you two being adults, the fact is I'm more of an adult than either of you and when the both of you faltered, I should've picked up the slack. I should've said no. I fucked up on this one and I won't let you take the blame, I won't have it."

"Scotty –"

But Scotty shook his head to silence him and stood, letting Hikaru's hand go. Hikaru stood too. "Be angry with me," Scotty added. "Don't try to forgive me prematurely because you feel sorry for me. You've got to feel that anger and give it a proper target, otherwise it'll just come out at the wrong person. Take the time to be angry. And when you're done, I'll still be here and we can go have a pint. Okay?"

Hikaru wanted to protest, wanted to tell him it was okay, but he knew deep down it wasn't, that there was still a part of him that was pissed as hell. So instead he simply nodded.

Scotty took a step closer, looking into Hikaru's eyes. "You alright? I mean about everything else. Sex isn't as simple as some would have us all believe."

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Scotty nodded. "Just make sure the other one is too, yeah? I mean, I know you already know to make sure, but … just make sure."

Hikaru nodded. Of course he was going to make sure Pavel was okay, but he wasn't annoyed with Scotty for reminding him. Scotty was in love. It would have been weird if he _wasn't_ being overprotective.

Scotty finally headed for the door, but he stopped there, glanced back and said, "Tell him I'm sorry, okay? I already sort of apologized, of course, but just … just tell him I'm sorry."

Hikaru nodded and then Scotty was gone, leaving Hikaru wondering when he'd be able to just hang out with the guy again. It would be a while before Hikaru could look at him without seeing that look on his face, that aching, longing look of love mixed with something sickeningly possessive as he pounded Pavel into the mattress. Yeah, it would definitely be a while.

Hikaru returned to the bedroom, worried about the state Pavel was in. He must have felt like shit, sitting in there wondering if Hikaru was out here hating him. The bedroom door opened and there was Pavel, curled up on the bed in his underwear. Pavel looked up at him, eyes wide, questioning and worried.

"It's okay," Hikaru assured him, coming over to sit next to him. Pavel sat up. "We talked and … well, things are gonna be weird for a while, but I think one day we'll all be friends again." He reached out and squeezed Pavel's arm. "You okay, baby? I feel like an idiot letting this happen, it must have really screwed with your head, huh?"

Pavel blinked at him and said nothing. He seemed to be thinking, his eyes darting away for a moment, his brow furrowing.

"Pavel? What are you thinking?"

Pavel looked at him again, this time frowning. And then, out of nowhere, he punched Hikaru on the arm.

"Ow!" Hikaru yelled, pulling his hand away and gripping his arm. "What the hell was that?"

"How dare you?" Pavel snapped, glaring. "How dare you be angry with me for having a good time when you are the one who told me to?"

"Pavel, jeez. Yeah, I know, I was just gonna say –"

"And how _dare_ you be angry with anybody about what their feelings might be when you have had your little secret Suki hidden away in the greenhouse all this time?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what now?"

"I came home the other day and you were with her and you had dirt all over your pants and don't tell me that was an accident! I know how you feel about that thing!"

"Pavel, hang on, slow down. I thought you were fine with having the plant here."

"I am not fine," Pavel huffed, getting up and starting to pace around the bed. "You didn't even look at me when I walked in that day, you were so busy with that stupid thing."

"Just hang on a sec," said Hikaru, standing up as well, but keeping his distance for the moment. "Are you seriously jealous of her? She's a plant, Pavel."

"To you, she is not just a plant," Pavel said as he paced back around to Hikaru's side of the bed. "She is so important to you, you had to bring her into our sex life."

"Excuse me? I didn't tell you to let her into your pants."

"Oh, please, Hikaru, it is obvious that you set the whole thing up on purpose. There was no poker game that night. Look at how early you came home. And why did I not know about the game in the first place, eh? You always let me know ahead of time."

Hikaru had to smile to himself, more out of disbelief than actual amusement. "I'm sorry, okay? It was a spur of the moment thing and then it got canceled, so I came home. That's all."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, why the hell not?"

"Because why would you not give me all of this explanation before now?"

"It slipped my mind! I walked into our quarters and found you with my plant down your pants. Forgive me, but somehow I didn't think it was the time to bring it up. And after that, you didn't ask about it."

Pavel snorted. "How convenient for you."

"Jesus," Hikaru muttered. "I can't believe you're acting like this, I thought you had fun that night."

"Whether I had fun or not is not the point. The point is you felt the need to bring something like that into our sex life. Why? What is missing for you that you need that so badly?"

"Oh, you have got to be joking. Did we not just have a full-fledged threesome with another man for you?"

Pavel stopped pacing and glared at Hikaru from the other side of the bed. "That is not the same thing."

"How the hell is it different?"

"I didn't need to be with him."

"Could've fooled me."

"I didn't! That day I found you with dirt on your pants, I was coming back here to tell you that we shouldn't talk about Mister Scott so openly anymore."

Hikaru frowned. "Well, then why would you then ask to have a threesome with him instead?" He cocked his head. "What, because you found me with dirt on my pants?"

Pavel crossed his arms and looked away.

"Pavel … she's a plant."

"She is special to you."

"Okay, yes, she has gotten me through some … rough nights, I'll admit that, but she is a _plant_ , Pavel. I can't be in love with a plant." He shook his head. "And here I thought you'd managed to loosen up a little."

Pavel's eyebrows shot up. "I beg your pardon?"

"You're so tightly wound all the time, I thought you agreeing to do stuff with Suki and being so open about my past with her meant you were relaxing a little."

Pavel's jaw muscles twitched. "You … think that I am tightly wound."

"Well … you are," Hikaru mumbled sheepishly. He shuffled his feet. "I mean, you _can_ be."

Pavel said nothing. He wasn't even looking at Hikaru now, instead glaring off past Hikaru's head, clenching his jaw.

"Does that bother you? That I think you're a little uptight sometimes?"

Pavel shrugged.

"I liked seeing you relax a little. I mean, at first it was nice; we could talk about your fantasies and you'd get all excited, like a happy, horny kid, but then … maybe it started to piss me off a little."

Pavel finally met his eyes again, some of the anger dissipating from his expression.

"I'll admit it," Hikaru said. "Maybe Scotty's feelings coming out tonight isn't the only thing that's bugging me. That first night we talked about him and you got all worked up; yeah, it bugged me, somewhere in the back of my mind. Because I hadn't seen that side of you in months and it took talking about some other guy to bring it out again."

"Then why did you let me be with him?" Pavel asked, his voice soft now. "Why were you so eager to see me with him? It is a little weird, don't you think?"

"You didn't wanna see me with him too?"

"Well, yes, but … you are not attracted to him the way I am. You are his friend, you do not have a crush on him. It was not your fantasy. It is not the same thing."

Hikaru supposed Pavel had a point. Hikaru sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, it is kinda weird. Hell, even Scotty thinks so. I just … I wanted you to have something you seemed to really want, something that would allow you to let go a little."

Pavel's shoulders slumped and he came back around the bed to Hikaru. "Am I that bad? Am I really that uptight, as you say?"

"Pavel, you don't think I notice when you move my shit around? My books, my mug, even my shoes? You know, parallel lines are not all they're cracked up to be."

Pavel blushed. "Does that bother you?"

"No … well, yes, but it's not that big a deal, really. It's just a detail, a symptom of a bigger issue. Why you feel the need to do that at all, that's the question. I came in the other day to find you'd moved all the furniture out of your way, and my God, Pavel, you'd even lined the furniture up in a nice, neat row. I know it's not that big a deal, but it's just one more thing, you know? It's like you can't, not even for a second, relax and just color outside the damn lines for once. And … and you didn't look up at me when I walked in that day, either. It was like I hadn't even entered the room."

Pavel glanced down. "That is true," he admitted quietly. Then added under his breath, "I didn't used to have sex with my hologram generator, though."

"Oh, come on!" Hikaru snapped, stepping away and reaching up to grip his own hair. "Pavel, what are we arguing about here? Are we pissed off at each other for emotional cheating, are we pissed about not saying hi when we walk into the room, not mentioning poker games, being too anal about how shoes are lined up? What? What is this?"

With a sigh, Pavel glanced away. He chewed his lip as he regarded his clothes still lying on the floor. He finally made a move for them, picked up his pants and pulled them, then his shirt. Still barefoot, he stepped toward Hikaru, took his hands and looked into his eyes. "I think," he cautiously said, "that we are trying to – how do you say it? We are trying to patch holes with things that shouldn't be used that way."

Hikaru nodded. "The threesomes."

"Yes."

"Pavel, I really, honestly did not intend for the first one to happen."

Pavel nodded, seeming to accept this. "It was me. I wanted to get along with your plant so that you could keep it in the room. I thought it was what you wanted, for me to, uh … be friendly with her. So, I let it happen."

"Jesus, Pavel, you didn't do that for me, did you?"

"No, no," Pavel said quickly. "I mean, yes, but not only for you. I enjoyed it too."

Hikaru shook his head. "How did we get here?"

"You say that like it is over already, like you have given up."

"No, of course I haven't, it's just that it seems like only yesterday I was trying to get your attention with physics jokes that I don't even think are funny and going out of my way to make sure I just happened to be wandering by the rec room when you came out after a run."

Pavel grinned. "You did those things on purpose?"

Hikaru smiled too. "Yeah. And you still didn't get it. I finally said screw it and just asked you to dinner, and you _still_ thought I was only being friendly."

Pavel snickered. "I am sorry. You were the cool, older guy. I didn't think you could like me that way."

"Aw, really?" Hikaru reached up with one hand and caressed Pavel's cheek. "How could I not like you that way? You're gorgeous and brainy."

Pavel's smile was shy and sweet and his cheeks filled with rosy color. He let Hikaru's hand go and wrapped his arms around his middle instead, nuzzling at Hikaru's neck. Hikaru gladly embraced him, relief washing over him at the feeling of having Pavel in his arms again.

"So," said Hikaru, "any idea what just happened here? Or what's been happening this entire week?"

"It is not just this past week. We have become comfortable with each other, in the bad way. We have become complacent." Pavel looked sadly up at Hikaru and whispered, "I would like for my eyes to light up when you come home, like they used to."

Hikaru remembered coming home that day and finding Pavel in the middle of his holographic universe, with little points of starlight glittering in his eyes, how he, Hikaru, had waited in vain for those eyes to find him and smile at him. It was only just now dawning on him that he'd been in mourning for a while now, mourning the loss of the spark he used to ignite in Pavel.

"I know what you mean," Hikaru whispered back. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Pavel's. "I still want us to be able to be completely open and honest with each other, no matter what. I don't want you to worry about liking someone else, I don't want you to have to hide your fantasies from me. I don't want either of us to be threatened by that stuff. You know?"

"Yes. There is something wonderful about being able to share those things and still be confident in what we have."

"You think that's possible? Maybe it's unrealistic."

"No, it is a beautiful idea. It is our execution that needs work, that is all. Just like your desk."

Hikaru frowned and opened his eyes. "What?"

Pavel grinned and shook his head. "Never mind."

"We'll be okay," Hikaru assured him. "We'll get through this."

"I hope so," Pavel whispered back.

"I'm gonna put Suki back in the greenhouse."

"No," Pavel said, looking worried now.

"Pavel, it's cool, really."

"But you should be able to have a little bit of your hobby here with you."

"Yeah, well, we can try another plant, one with less, um … significance. You don't come second to anyone or anything, and I don't want you to ever feel that you do, not for a second. You're the center of my universe, Pasha."

Pavel smiled and he no longer looked sad or worried, simply happy. Truly happy. Hikaru returned his smile tenfold, knowing that this moment was all about them and their love and had nothing to do with anyone else.

"I think we should go and take a shower together," Pavel said, his voice a little husky now. "Maybe change the bedsheets too. Start fresh, just you and me."

Hikaru kissed Pavel's nose. "I'm right behind you."

Pavel took a moment to kiss Hikaru's mouth, and that moment turned into several moments, until the two of them were stumbling out of the room together, still locked at the lips.

 

  
**The Last Word**   


Scotty wandered into Engineering, the rhythmic thrum vibrating inside him as he moved through the heart of his ship. He instantly felt a little better. He was home.

It was late, but he didn't feel like retiring to his quarters just yet. He had too much on his mind and he knew sleep wasn't coming anytime soon. He ducked into his office and dropped into his desk chair with a sigh. His chair creaked a little underneath him, like it always did, and settled back a bit under the press of his back, reclining him just enough. His tankard was within arm's reach and still half-full. His tribble purred soothingly from its corner. Everything here was made for him, for his comfort, for his convenience. He sipped his scotch and tried to relax, calm his mind, maybe forget a little. But that wasn't his nature. He didn't just forget. His brain liked to dwell and pick apart and figure out and get things settled. Scotty sighed and glanced down into his tankard, thinking that this was probably why he drank so much.

He had been in denial. That much was clear. He'd been in denial about his feelings about Pavel, he'd downplayed them in order to let himself indulge. Maybe he'd been able to do that because he'd been able to keep his feelings mostly at bay, just simmering below the surface, only seeping out enough to make him ache a little when the boy got too near or his ideas got too brilliant for Scotty to bear. The sex was what had opened the floodgates, taking Pavel, being inside him, kissing him, smelling him, making him scream, making him come. Scotty's defenses hadn't stood a chance with that lovely creature writhing underneath him earlier that night. Not a chance in hell.

 _So, what happens now?_ Scotty thought. Somehow they'd all get back on track. Somehow Hikaru would forgive him. Somehow Pavel would stop feeling guilty. Somehow Scotty would fall out of love. Somehow. Someday. But not today. Today, tonight, Scotty sat in his office and thought too much, and eventually his mind grew tired of spinning in circles and finally let him sleep.

Not that he remembered falling asleep. When he awoke the next morning with an isolinear chip stuck to his face, he raised his heavy head up off his desk, sat up and squinted around his office. He winced as his back twinged, as backs tend to do when one sleeps at one's desk. He peeled the chip free, tossed it aside and checked the time on his computer before hoisting himself out of his chair and trudging toward the door.

He stepped out of a turbolift on another deck and headed for his quarters. He'd been lucky enough not to run into anyone he knew so far on his journey from Engineering. He was in no state to say good morning to anyone at the moment. He needed a shower and a shave and clothes that didn't smell like sweat, sex and scotch. He quietly begged all the gods for his luck to hold out, but then …

"Scotty!" came the captain's chipper voice from behind him. Scotty's pace slowed and he closed his eyes for a moment, reaching deep down inside himself and trying to locate a genuine smile somewhere.

Kirk trotted up next to him and clapped him on the back. "Morning."

"Morning, Captain," Scotty replied, his voice barely a dry croak. He cleared his throat and tried again, this time sounding less croaky, but more weary, as he turned his best approximation of a smile toward Kirk. "Morning, Captain."

Kirk frowned with concern. "What happened to you? Rough night?"

"Something like that, yeah. It's nothing. Quick shower and I'll be good as new."

"You sure? Maybe you should take a personal day."

"No, sir, that's the last thing I need right now." Which was true. What Scotty needed was to get lost in work, not sit around in his quarters brooding. "Did you need something, sir?"

"Oh, yeah, hey, where were you last night? I was looking for you, couldn't find you in any of your usual haunts."

"Oh, erm, I had a … thing … I had to, er … take care of … someplace. Nothing big, just a personal project."

"Huh, interesting," Kirk said with an odd frown. "A project outside of Engineering?"

"Well, you know, I've got other interests. I'm a well-rounded individual."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh."

Kirk was staring at Scotty with slightly narrowed eyes, giving Scotty the impression he was being cross-examined.

"Is everything alright, sir?"

"Yeah, fine." Kirk smiled, then, and patted Scotty's back once more. "I'll get back to you on why I was looking for you. I'm glad I ran into you, though. I was worried." At that, he broke off and headed down another corridor just as Scotty reached his quarters. Scotty stood there a moment and watched him go, wondering what the bloody hell all that had been about.

Just then, Kirk paused and spun around, snapping his fingers as though just remembering something. "Oh, by the way … Yeoman Rand says hi."

Scotty blinked at him. He and Rand didn't talk much, so he had no idea why she'd say hello to him. "Er, okay. Then I say hi back," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Why would she say hi to me?"

"Oh, no reason. She knew I was looking for you, so she mentioned this morning that she happened to see you last night."

Scotty's brain caught up quickly enough, despite its groggy, scotch-soaked state. He gulped. "Where'd she see me?"

Kirk shrugged. "I dunno. Said you were visiting some friends or something."

Kirk smiled at him, but it was more like a smirk, the kind that made his eyes twinkle in a way that made Scotty extremely nervous.

"Hope you had a good night," Kirk added. He gave Scotty a salute, and Scotty caught just a glimpse of a rather self-satisfied smile as Kirk turned around and continued on his way.

END


End file.
